Megaman X: Elysium Rising
by Genoscythe
Summary: As X and Zero struggle with the emotional scars of a lifetime spent hunting Mavericks, their attempts to wipe out the dwindling renegade population are interrupted by a mysterious signal that seems to be inexorably drawing them toward their destinies.
1. Foreword

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising **_

Foreword

By Genoscythe

By far my largest and most ambitious piece of fanfiction, _Elysium Rising _is now over six years old. This means, on top of practically being an antique in fanfiction years, this predates _X8 _and _Maverick Hunter X_, which means no Layer or Palette, no Lumine, Abel City, orbital elevators, or New Generation Reploids. While _Elsyium Rising_ would have been a very different 'fic if I had written it after the latest _X _series releases, I don't have the time or the motivation to go back and change it all now, so consider this fair warning to those of you who are just here for some Zero on Layer action. You know who you are.

I do make references to my other Megaman X fanfic, _Eternal War_, but the years have not been as kind to it as they have been to _Elysium Rising_ (possibly because it was written while I was in middle school), and I don't recommend reading it just to understand the references. All of them are explained, though, and you can get a more in-depth explanation from the personnel files in the index at the bottom of the chapter list if you'd like.

**Dramatis Personae**

**Marx**- _"The reason why I was with those Mavs is because I'm a mercenary; if it were a legitimate line of work, I'd have a business card."_

**Hair/Eye color- Brown/Blue**

**Armor color- Navy Blue/Gray**

**Weapon of Choice- Automatic pistol**

**Notes - **A reploid mercenary with a paradoxical aversion to murder. His strict ethical code has interfered with his career as a gun-for-hire, and as a last resort, he has momentarily allied himself with the Mavericks in order to survive. Though he is a standard production model prone to infection, he appears to be immune to the Maverick Virus. This and other details of his past remain a mystery, but only because he is afraid to open up to anyone, especially his Maverick employers.

**Endymion**- _"Freeze, now."_

**Hair/Eye color- White/Brown**

**Armor color- Silver**

**Weapon of Choice- Arm Blades**

**Notes - **He is a special ops reploid designed for the Maverick Hunters. Swift and deadly with almost any blade, he is feared by Mavericks and revered by his comrades. His sleek armor is not made to withstand much damage, however, and he has learned to kill quickly and silently to compensate. He devotes every waking moment to his duty, shunning everyone and everything else - even his fellow Hunters. The scientists responsible for his creation believe his personality glitched when it was first generated, but they cannot legally reset his mind, so they have opted to simply watch him closely and make sure his antisocial tendencies do not turn violent. He was developed in conjunction with Selene, his 'sister', and they are both high-ranking members of Special Unit 0.

**Selene**- _"I'm sorry, Zero. I shouldn't have hit him so hard."_

**Hair/Eye color- Brown/Yellow**

**Armor color- Green/Gray**

**Weapon of Choice- Wrist Gatling Cannons**

**Notes - **She is a special ops reploid designed for the Maverick Hunters. An infiltration expert, she has a multi-purpose holographic projection generator built into her body. Her custom armor is built with many secret compartments to hide weapons and other useful items. As a result, she can instantly adapt from being a saboteur to a heavily-armed fighter if her cover is blown. Her armor is large for such a relatively small, feminine form, but it is mostly empty space to store weaponry, and she is nearly as fragile as Endymion. To counterpoint her brother's icy, introspective nature, Selene's personality lives in extremes, flitting back and forth between moody and exuberant seemingly based on the positions of the moon and the sun.

**Nephtis**- _"Who do you think you are to tell me how to do my job, huh?"_

**Hair/Eye color- Black/Brown**

**Armor color- Gold**

**Weapon of Choice- Beam Staff**

**Notes - **A mechanic for the Maverick Hunters, Nephtis mostly keeps to herself. Despite her inconsistent work ethics, she has proved herself a talented and valuable addition to the Hunters. She developed both a new ride chaser and ride armor, called the Zephyr and Monarch respectively. Part of her history could be discerned by careful examination of her name, but her abrasive personality discourages most from even attempting it.

**Malakai- **_"Strap yourselves in, ladies and gent. This is gonna be a bitch!"_

**Hair/Eye color- Black/Green**

**Armor color- Black/Orange**

**Weapon of Choice- Sniper Rifle**

**Notes - **An enigmatic Maverick Hunter who seems to loathe humans. Strangely, he also seems bound and determined to protect them. He likes to keep himself shrouded in mystery to agitate his fellow Hunters, which brings up an important question: Is he really hiding a secret, or is he merely stringing everyone along?

**High Priority Mavericks:**

**Vulcan Stinger**- A bipedal scorpion-type reploid who utilizes a pair of gatling guns on his shoulders. Stinger was put in charge of a small underground outpost in the wasteland, but due to his dedication and hands-on leadership, the base has been transformed into a fortress second only to the central Maverick Headquarters. Pessimistic and disillusioned, Stinger's success brings him little comfort, as he knows that the Mavericks are outmanned and outgunned, but the Sigma Virus and his own fatalism compel him to fight on.

**Hail Magnum**- A lowly Model 4 battle reploid infected with the Sigma Virus. Having always felt inadequate compared to other combat reploids, he proved himself to the other Mavericks with his brutality and suicidal courage. As a reward for several successful missions, he was upgraded with a pair of heavy autocannon arms and a nigh-impenetrable suit of bunker-style armor. Since he no longer has fingers, he is equipped with a backpack that stores extra grabbing arms.

**Stealth Claw**- He was once a Special Ops reploid for the Neo Tokyo Defense Agency. However, he had always harbored strong anti-human sentiments, and after a chance encounter with the Mavericks, he joined their cause. He is an expert in stealth and espionage, and his feline form aids this skill tremendously. He can move without making a sound, scale walls, and jump many times his own height. Combined with his serrated, retractable claws, Claw is a swift and efficient killer. Despite constant exposure to the Maverick Virus, he is generally lucid, and only rarely does the virus take control of his body.

**Kinetic Arachno**- This creature is not so much a Maverick as an experiment gone horribly wrong. Maverick scientists working on new weapons successfully created a symbiotic mechaniloid. When testing the mechaniloid, it unexpectedly began attacking the scientists recording data. With telekinetic abilities that not even the scientists could predict, the mechaniloid utterly destroyed their minds. Then, it proceeded to access the AI mainframe of the Maverick research base. Now loaded with artificial intelligence, the creature attached itself to the back of a combat reploid and began to corrupt its data. This symbiote is labeled as a maverick because the creature attached to the reploid's back was created by Maverick scientists, and the creature is violent to everything around it. Nobody is sure if it is conscious or not.

**Tempest**- Once an international criminal, Tempest joined the Mavericks in the name of anarchy. He is one of an increasing number of reploids that are immune to the Maverick Virus, and that makes him even more deadly. He acts on his own free will, calm and controlled. His humanoid body is encased in a chitinous exoskeleton, and the four razor-sharp mandibles on his mouth are just as deadly as the katars attached to his wrists. Sigma's second-in-command, Tempest prefers to leave the actual commanding to Tread Havoc.

**Diamond Edge**- She is a Maverick that emerged from the reploid underworld along with Tempest. Her unique frame allows her to project blades out of almost any part of her body. She prefers to go into battle unarmored, as a means to catch her opponents off guard, and her instantly concealable weapons allow her to pose as a bystander to avoid capture. Despite her connection to Tempest, she avoids him whenever possible, and prefers the company of Vulcan Stinger for reasons the other Mavericks don't fully understand.

**Tread Havoc**- He was the leader of the 4th Overland Division years before, in the Second Maverick Uprising. He was captured by Mavericks and they attempted to convert him. For an unknown reason, the virus would not affect his systems, and he fought against his captors for years. Around the end of the Doppler Conflict, he escaped and fled to Repliforce. Though he refused to harm his former Maverick Hunter allies, he assisted his new comrades as much as he could. After the Repliforce Wars, he and the broken refugees from Repliforce hid in an underground shelter from the Maverick Hunters. There, he waited out the Eurasia Crisis and reconstruction of the surface world.

When he and the refugees returned, they were immediately attacked by a mysterious assailant, who killed the other refugees, and knocked Havoc unconscious. He awoke as a different person, and immediately joined the Mavericks, claiming to be infected with their virus.

**Thunder Raven**- He was developed in conjunction with Wind Crowrang, who was sold to the Maverick Hunters. Raven had not been bought by anyone, so he was put into storage during the Red Alert War where his 'brother' became a member of the syndicate and later a Maverick. When interest in combat reploids increased, Raven was brought out of storage. When he heard of his brother's fate, he went mad and fled from his creators. He sought out the Mavericks and willingly contracted the virus so he could avenge his brother's honor.

**Pyre Mystic**- She is a humanoid with a unique pyrokinetic generator that allows her to remotely immolate targets up to fifty meters away. She accidentally burned her creator to death upon activation, but she was rescued from the Neo Tokyo Defense Agency by Stealth Claw, who took her in and convinced her to join the Mavericks. She completely resisted the virus, and after attempting to analyze her systems, they were unable to gain any insight on how she was built. Instead of infecting her, they used more subtle methods to coerce her to help them.

**Unknown**- Nobody has seen the face of this reploid. The only thing any side knows about him is that he has been decimating anyone who gets near him, and his sporadic attacks seem to follow no rhyme or reason.


	2. Chapter 1: Marx

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 1: Maverick group extermination

Chapter 1: Marx

By Genoscythe

Disclaimer- If you know me, then you know I like having fun with disclaimers. However, I'm only gonna say this once. I do not own Megaman X, the Maverick Hunters, Zero, Axl, Alia, Signas or anyone that Capcom claims ownership to.

**Mission 1: Maverick group extermination**

**Maverick Leader: Vulcan Stinger**

**Main Objective: Retire or scatter any Mavericks found on site**

**Secondary Objective: Safeguard the Maverick contact**

**Commence Operation**

Blazing lights swept across the dirty ground, illuminating the cluster of frightened reploids with pinpoint accuracy. Marx was among them, but rather than cowering in terror, he slipped under the heads of the various reploids and tried to back out of the group. However, the Mavericks around him were not stricken for long, and the virus in their systems began to act up. Many pulled out rifles and beam swords, and the rest warmed up their built-in weaponry. Their leader, Vulcan Stinger, roared and rose defiantly in the spotlight. His followers mimicked him without hesitation.

As a result, the Mavericks made it very difficult for Marx to escape their tight circle without getting caught. It wasn't like he was there against his will, but five hundred credits weren't worth tangling with Maverick Hunters. He was told this would be a low-risk smuggling operation, and he only wanted a chance to indirectly hurt the Maverick Hunters - as much as he hated them, he still didn't want to kill any. Sighing in resignation, he raised his head again with an automatic pistol in his hand. _They're not gonna feel the same way about you, Marx, _he told himself.

Two helicopters swirled dust into the air, and Marx saw that reploids began dropping from open doors on the vehicles' sides. The Mavericks around him were already firing busters and external ordnance at the helicopters and the Hunters dropping from them. Marx held himself back, however. _If there's no crime, there's no punishment, _he thought to himself. _Just in case they capture me, I'd better play nice if I wanna get off easy._

"Spread out! Find cover in the hangars!" Vulcan Stinger shouted over the tumult of gunfire from both sides of the engagement. " We don't stand a chance grouped together like this!" The front layer of Mavericks were indeed getting torn apart; a reploid without optical telemetry could aim at the dense crowd of Mavericks. Slowly, the Mavericks in the back rows began to split off and head to one of the two boat hangars on either side of the gathering.

For a while, Marx debated whether to move or not. If he moved, the Maverick Hunters would pick him off like they were the Mavericks running for cover. However, if he stayed where he was behind Vulcan Stinger and the rest, he would soon run out of Mavericks to take the bullets for him. Of course, the solution came to him soon after this revelation. _If I can't go to the side or stay where I am, then there's only one direction left _to _go!_

Almost silently, Marx turned around, his back to the fighting. On the other side of the small boat storage area near the wharf, a durawire fence separated the hangars from the curving street heading into the wharf. Without glancing back, the reploid ran for the fence at full speed. If not for the Maverick Hunters occupying Vulcan Stinger, he would have been torn to shreds by the violent Maverick leader.

_ But then, _Marx thought, _If not for the Maverick Hunters, I wouldn't need to run in the first place. _The convenient Maverick shield was blocking most, if not all of the shots fired by the Maverick Hunter force, so he had a clear shot at the fence. His metal-encased feet pounded the ground, and the sheer weight of his mechanical body lent him speed via momentum. He didn't have rocket propellant installed into his angular boot armor, but his legs were modified to put his running speed above average.

_ Almost there... _The fence was flying at him, and he turned his feet to the side to kill his speed. The metal encasing his feet dug into the ground and chewed gravel into the air, and he felt his lower body slow down faster than his upper. Thus, he had to hold his arm out to catch onto the fence and keep himself from falling over. Without wasting any time, as he was sure some of the Maverick Hunters had seen him by now, his right arm shot up and grabbed the top edge of the fence.

With strength that was far beyond human, he pulled, and lifted the rest of his heavy body into the air well above his arm's length. With a twist, he shifted himself over the fence and landed heavily on his knees. His breath slightly quickened, he ran his hand along his back to search for any hits the Maverick Hunters had scored. There was one energy bullet mark on his smooth upper back armor, but considering that he had been completely vulnerable for several seconds, he considered himself lucky.

_ I guess Vulcan and his boys are taking better care of themselves than I thought, _Marx thought to himself. He lifted himself to his feet, quickly looking around for any more Maverick Hunters. It was all clear, so he took a step forward. Instantly, an armored fist wrapped around the mercenary's neck and pulled him against it's owner. Astonishment that someone could have snuck up on him so quietly and stealthily quickly subsided, and he reverted to his cocky, rebellious self.

"Stop," a voice commanded from behind him. Marx squirmed in retaliation.

"You're making a huge mistake, tough guy. You're a Maverick Hunter, right?" There was no response. "Well, I'm no Maverick, so go do your job somewhere else, alright?"

"Not a Mav, huh? What does that make you, a tourist? You're sightseeing with the wrong crowd, buddy."

"I didn't hurt anyone," Marx pointed out hopefully. The Hunter only tightened his grip.

"Good, then I'll make sure you never will." Marx heard the hiss of an igniting energy blade.

"Hey, cut it out! I swear I'm not a Maverick!" A hint of panic bled through into the reploid mercenary's voice; much more of it than he liked.

"Really? Prove it," the hunter replied coolly.

"I've got nothing but my word," Marx said, matching the hunter's tone.

"Sorry, your word's not gonna cut it," the hunter answered without skipping a beat. He felt the hot energy blade slice downward, so Marx did the only thing that came to mind. He brought his automatic pistol up and fired into the arm that held his neck in place. The hunter growled in pain, and his grip slackened enough so that Marx could jump to the side and only receive a glancing blow on his broad shoulder armor.

He spun around and jumped backward, keeping his eyes on the wounded hunter. The hunter was taller than Marx by a few mere centimeters, but the sight of him demanded a kind of humble submission upon looking at him. His eyes ruthlessly glowed with anger, and the long blonde hair flowing out the back of his crested helmet cast a shadow over his blood red armor. The streetlight overlooking the road they were next to was almost directly behind him, stretching his shadow all the way to Marx's feet. He knew, with utmost certainty, that if he had been staring this reploid face to face, he would have never dared to contradict him, much less attack him.

The Maverick Hunter was holding his left arm up to his chest, where artificial blood seeped out of the small bullet holes in the crimson reploid's arm plating. The Hunter stared daggers at Marx, but made no move to proceed. Possibilities and ideas filled his head, but when staring at the hateful creature before him, all points became moot. He knew he could not kill the Hunter, so the best he could do was to run away. This also seemed pointless, as he saw jet propulsion units on the Hunter's feet. Jet propulsion units that he was somewhat lacking in.

Finally, fear overrode any sense of tactics, and he spun about and ran full tilt. His mind screamed at him, telling him what a coward he was. He didn't really care. He knew he was completely outclassed by that Maverick Hunter, so he hoped that his opponent didn't feel like running tonight. Any moment, he expected a hot energy blade to lance down and cut him in two. He expected, but it never came. He dared to look back, however. The reploid still stood under the street lamp, unmoving. He was facing the other direction, though. Marx could tell by his inability to read the features on the hunter's body.

The reploid mercenary didn't know why the hunter stopped, but he took it as a token of good fortune.

* * *

"You're slacking off, Zero. In the old days, an ordinary Mav couldn't touch you," the small, black reploid reprimanded the much larger form.

"Let me remind you, Axl, that you weren't even around during the 'old days'. And anyway, this guy isn't just an ordinary Maverick. In fact, I don't really think he's a Mav at all," The larger hunter said while crossing his arms gingerly to avoid serious pain from the injured one.

"Not a Mav, huh? So what, are you just gonna let him get off with it like that?" Axl chided. Zero shook his head.

"I was wondering if you wanted to take this one. I've had my share of combat tonight, and you only just got here," the crimson reploid told him.

"If you say so, Zero. If I were you, I'd want to take him out myself."

"Try doing this as long as I have. Takes some of the fun out of it," Zero said. "Remember, this guy's probably not a Mav, so don't retire him. Just grab him for me and see if he's telling the truth," Axl gave a dutiful nod, then seemingly vanished into the darkness beyond the light of the streetlamp. Zero turned his head toward the fighting in the hangars, which was winding down into a few sporadic flashes of plasma and flame. Suddenly, he heard a beep from the commlink inside his helmet.

"This is Zero," he said, tapping the receiver on the side of his head.

_ Zero, it's X. We've cleaned up the Mavericks here, but their leader escaped._

"The scorpion guy?"

_ Yeah, him. Some others may have gotten out too, but we can't be sure._

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but why were there so many Mavericks here? Does the informant know?"

_ I'm not sure. Sylph was really worried about being found out, so she didn't tell us more than she had to._

"No honor among thieves, eh?" Zero chuckled into the commlink.

_ Yeah. She's safe, by the way. I made sure all of the Hunters knew who to shoot and who _not _to shoot._

"Hmph. Alia's gonna be jealous."

_ Stop it Zero. It was our part of the bargain, and if we can't have our honor, then we're no better than thieves, as you pointed out._

"Don't sweat it, X. I was joking."

_ I know, but I can't help but feel a little bit touchy on that point._

"Sure. Look, Axl's tracking down a straggler. I'm gonna wait for him here, but if you want to send some extra help, be my guest."

_ Aren't you supposed to be training him?_

"Yeah. That's why I sent him in the first place."

_ If you've trained him as well as Sigma trained you, he won't need any backup._

"You can never be too careful."

_ Alright, well, I'll meet up with you two later. X, out. _Zero tapped the side of his helmet again and the link went dead. His eyes wandered off into the darkness beyond the lone street light, wondering how well his apprentice was doing.

* * *

Before Zero received his call from X, Marx knew something was wrong. He had slowed down considerably since the red devil had not taken any interest in him, but now he quickened his pace. He couldn't place his fear, but somehow he knew something was ready to pounce on him. Now, he could hear faint footsteps behind him. Without warning, he spun about, gun blazing. Nothing was there. At least, nothing on the ground.

His nagging subconscious directed Marx to look up, and he saw an ebony-clad reploid hovering just above his previous field of vision. In that quick glimpse, the mercenary could tell the reploid was built to be a young boy. That was all he could tell before the Maverick Hunter descended upon him, knowing his cover was blown. Marx jumped backwards, arching his back and placing his hands on the neocrete sidewalk as if to do a backflip.

The black hunter ran forward, anticipating the move. However, instead of completing the backflip, he propelled himself forward with his heavy armored legs first. Caught completely off guard, the ebony reploid took the blow full in the chest and fell back onto the ground. Pushing off of the black reploid, Marx vaulted into the air, landing somewhere near where his backflip would have been competed.

With a mocking bow to the Maverick Hunter on the ground, the mercenary turned and ran once again. Thinking himself to be incredibly clever in evading _two _Maverick Hunters, Marx kept on running with a confidant stride. He did not expect to look back and find the same black hunter from before running along the wall of the building parallel to himself, picking up speed and decreasing the distance between the two of them.

Ducking his head down, Marx ran all the faster, relishing in the memories he had of being equipped with jet propulsion and anti-grav systems. But alas, he had traded that armor in for a more protective suit. Now, he realized how meager the protection his new armor really was. Especially since this hunter was equipped with anti-grav systems. There was virtually no place he could hide or run from something that could walk on walls.

It was not long before the black reploid finally _did_ catch up to Marx. It leapt off the wall, killing the anti-grav systems and slamming the mercenary into the ground. Keeping one knee on Marx's back, he raised a hefty pistol in both hands up to his head. "Keep it cool, Mav," the reploid hissed at him. His voice was that of a petulant child.

"Since when did the Maverick Hunters allow kids to join up?" Marx grunted.

"I'll bet I'm older than you are," the Hunter said. " From the look of your armor, I'd say you're a new Replitech model."

"As a reploid, I measure age in experience. A reploid created yesterday and put on the battlefield immediately is less of a child than the oldest of the sheltered, pompous brats the humans keep out in the suburbs. And here I have exhibit A crushing my spine," Marx said. "Look at yourself, kid."

"You're lucky Zero doesn't think you're a Mav. You wouldn't be talking right now if he didn't tell me to bring you alive."

Marx gave a strained laugh. "You probably don't even know how to use that gun, let alone kill me with it." The Maverick Hunter ignored him, and cued his commlink. "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say _retire _me. That _is _the word you people use to dress up 'killing', isn't it?"

"This is Axl. I've got a hostile, and I need a pickup."

"Yeah, that's the word. You make it sound like those reploids you slaughtered all get a pension plan or something! A paid vacation sounds a lot better than a shot in the head, right? You all make me sick." His venomous diatribe was punctuated by a sharp crack of light, and a bullet hole sizzled in the ground inches from Marx's head.

"Keep it up, and you'll get that vacation whether you're a Mav or not," Axl growled. Marx was grateful for the fact that the young hunter could not read the surprised look on his face. This kid wasn't as green as he first thought. He heard Axl speak into the commlink again. "If you've got a problem with it, talk to Zero. He's the one who doesn't want me to _retire_ this Mav." The ebony Maverick Hunter said the word 'retire' through gritted teeth, and it was obviously directed at the mercenary pressed against the sidewalk under his foot. Marx wriggled in futility, finding that Axl hadn't left him with an inch of breathing room. This time, the Hunters had gotten him. And with a little kid, no less...

**End of chapter 1**


	3. Chapter 2: The Hunt

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 1: Maverick group extermination

Chapter 2: The Hunt

By Genoscythe

"Give me three reasons why you shouldn't believe me," Marx said, wriggling under the weight of the black Maverick Hunter pressing him against the ground. Axl smirked.

"One. You were in the middle of a group of known mavericks, and you obviously weren't their captive. Two. You're trying to escape capture. You must be hiding something, or else you would surrender immediately. Three. You attacked a Maverick Hunter. There, is that enough for you?" Marx shook his head.

"I'm a mercenary. I work for whoever pays me, so that's why I was with those Mavs. And who _wouldn't _try to escape from people trying kill them? Yeah, your Hunter friend attacked me first, so I'm innocent there too. Is _that _enough for you?" he asked with a certain measure of spite in his voice.

"Not nearly. I've got some more Hunters on the way, and you're going back to HQ for examination," Axl replied. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you go and you were lying."

"Well, isn't that admirable? You make it look like you care about the humans, but all you're really interested in is the thrill of the hunt. That's what all Maverick Hunters are after, isn't it? You love the feeling of excitement when you're chasing down a 'Maverick', taking another reploid's life just because your superiors said to. You'd do anything for a little action, won't you? You're just not with the Mavericks because the Hunters are the winning side in this conflict."

The reploid mercenary's continued jeering flung Axl over the edge. He brought the butt of his handgun against the back of Marx's helmet as hard as he could, inciting a loud thwack and pounding his head into the ground. He was silent, unmoving. Axl stood up, keeping one foot on his back. Bending down, he looked to see if the mercenary was unconscious. His eyes were blank white slates, signaling a shutdown. Axl smiled to himself. It was particularly tricky to knock out a reploid, considering they were machines, but enough force applied in the right spot could temporarily shut down a reploid's processor.

Axl took his foot off of Marx's back and leaned against the wall of the shop next to them. Now, all he had left to do was wait for a detainment team. He tapped a foot absent-mindedly against the ground, drawing small pictures with the toe of his boot armor. His mind wandered off to his days in the Red Alert Syndicate, and he found himself drawing a sketchy picture of Red, his friend, leader and mentor, in the dirt. He remembered the times they had trained together and brought down rival criminal activity. Back then, Axl had never thought of what they were doing as illegal, but as he looked back on it, he realized Red's methods were cruel, bordering on sadistic. Sure, they were hunting down Mavericks and gangsters, but extortion and torture weren't fitting punishments for anybody. Perhaps it was his new perspective on the other side of the law, but all the wrongs of vigilantism now stood in stark relief out of the shadows his mind had previously hidden them in.

A gunshot put an abrupt halt to Axl's thoughts. With a creeping feeling of terror, he felt along his chest, and when he drew his hand back it was stained with blood. A second shot rang out, and his handgun was knocked forcefully from his hand. Disoriented, he looked down and saw the end of a pistol poking out from underneath the fallen mercenary.

Rising to his feet, Marx brushed himself off and holstered his gun. "You were off by a few millimeters, kid. Unfortunately for you, I wasn't." Instantly, Axl knew what had happened. Pistol-whipping the mercenary hadn't knocked him out after all, and he had shut himself down to make the Hunter think he was unconscious. Then, once Axl had let his guard down, Marx reactivated himself, took out his pistol, and shot it from underneath him so Axl wouldn't see it.

Disarmed, humiliated, and shaking from the agony in his chest, the young Maverick Hunter slid down the wall in resignation. Marx flashed him a cocky smile, then turned forward and ran.

"If you had believed me, this wouldn't have happened!" he called back as he ran. However, he didn't get far before he heard a cold voice from an alleyway on his right.

"Freeze, now," the voice said. Marx was about to offer a snide reply, but it caught in his throat as a heavy object descended on his head from behind. _This _time, it was right on the mark.

* * *

"I can't believe you won't let me kill this loser!"

"Shut it, Axl. Just calm down for a second."

"He shot me! Can't I at least shoot him back?"

"Nope. He got enough punishment from Selene."

"I'm sorry, Zero. I shouldn't have hit him so hard."

"It's not your fault. You should probably use a smaller gun next time, though."

"Yes, sir."

"But...can't I just shoot him once? How about in the leg?"

"I already told you no, Axl. Are you gonna make me say it a third time?"

"I could've died!"

"Then just be thankful it didn't happen."

"Zero's right, Axl. You should be glad he didn't hit your reactor. We all are, aren't we?"

"Some more than others."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Selene, but I still can't let this jerk get off free."

"You're gonna have to, Axl. Just let it go. We still don't know what this guy's story really is."

"He checks out clean for the Sigma Virus. He must not be a Maverick."

"Well then, what is he?"

"Analysis shows he's a Replitech Model 3. Serial number 88657."

"Model 3's are usually prone to infection, right?"

"That's right, Zero. However, this guy has no trace of any kind of reploid virus. He's totally clean."

"So, either he's lucky or someone's been tampering with him."

"Scans report multiple augmentations to systems and some basic parts have been swapped for more high-performance ones. He couldn't have done those by himself."

"Everything we learn about this clown just leads to more mysteries."

"When he wakes up, we'll get some answers out of him. We just have to wait for his system to reboot."

"That might take awhile, Selene."

"I hope not. I really wasn't trying to knock him out like that."

"I wish you had hit him a little harder."

"Axl..."

"Hey, I'm not asking to shoot him anymore."

"What happened to Endy and X?"

"I think X is trying to track down the Maverick leader that got away. Your brother is in holo training."

"Great. He's always on that thing."

"It makes him a good warrior."

"It makes him a lifeless killing machine."

"Funny how similar those two concepts are."

"You would know, Zero."

"More than you could possibly imagine, Axl." Marx heard voices, but his audio sensory was the only subsystem currently working. Whoever had attacked him – and he guessed it was the female voice – had done a great job of wrecking his processor. His long-term memory unit was all but ruined, and when he tried to restart his optical telemetry, an 'operation failed' signal would appear in his mind's eye. He assumed that his helmet had been dented in to mangle his main processor so thoroughly, and there would be hell to pay if he ever got all of his systems running again.

"Do you think he's having trouble rebooting?" It was the female voice.

"Serves him right," Axl, of course.

"I'll check it out," the girl said. Moments passed in silence, and Marx still couldn't access his movement controls. His sense of touch was also offline, so he had no idea if someone was tampering with him. Suddenly, everything became incredible bright, and he was able to move again. His eyes snapped open and his head shot up, surprising the female reploid bending over him. He looked around and absorbed his surroundings.

He could tell he was in Maverick Hunter HQ due to the dull blue metal walls and the figures standing around him. He recognized two of them, even though they weren't wearing their combat armor. They still wore their tight undersuits, Zero in black and Axl in light gray, with padded vests the color of their armor. They wore slim, rounded white gauntlets around their wrists, and their hands seemed much smaller without combat gloves on. Their boots, unlike the armored versions, were form-fitting and matched their gauntlets.

Axl and Zero looked much the same as they did the night before, possibly due to the color-coding of their uniforms. Zero was easily recognizable due to the long blonde hair flowing down his back, and Marx could not mistake the 'X' scar on Axl's face. The female Hunter wore a green and gray uniform, and she had a shock of brown hair that flared out above her face but tapered off toward the back of her head. She looked young, almost as young as Axl, but she obviously had more combat experience than he did.

"Well, you're awake," she said, crossing her arms and standing back next to Axl.

"No thanks to you," Marx spat, directing the comment at the woman. "I take it you were the one who put me out?" She took a curt bow.

"Lieutenant Selene, Special Unit 0, at your service," she mocked. Marx shook his head, partially to orient himself and partially as a gesture of contempt.

"Cut the crap. What do you want from me?" He did not immediately get an answer, though Selene looked a bit uneasy. Zero folded his arms. Marx noticed the vengeful glare in the crimson Hunter's eyes was gone, and he was extremely relieved.

"We'd like you to tell us a little bit about yourself," he intoned coolly.

"Tell you about...what, are you people trying to psychoanalyze me now?" Zero strode forth and rested his hands on the edge of the table that Marx was lying on.

"Alright, I think it's time that _you _cut the crap and tell us what we need to know."

"Gestapo tryouts ended a couple centuries ago, I'd say you're more than a little late and interrogating reploids you pick up off the street won't impress anyone." Zero gave him a cruel smirk that set Marx on edge.

"You keep that wit running 24/7, don't you?" The calm manner in which Zero spoke chilled the mercenary.

"It's my main subroutine," he replied, but his voice wasn't as confident as he wanted it to sound.

"Well, if you want to be an ass, go ahead. Just remember that you're completely unarmed, and I'm not." Zero turned around and walked to the wall behind him. He rapped his knuckles on the hard metal, barely making a sound. "These walls are soundproof. Nobody can hear you scream, and if they did, they wouldn't care, seeing as how you're a bloodthirsty Maverick and all." He came back and leaned over Marx. He slowly pulled out a small beam dagger from a holster around his waist, and a thrumming green arrowhead flickered to life over the handle. "You're not getting anywhere by stalling."

The mercenary was about to speak, but Zero cut him off. "Don't even start with that crap about the law. We admitted you here as a Maverick, which means you belong to us. We're an independent organization, and when it comes to our specialty, the government leaves us alone. They know better by now." Marx saw in his eyes how serious he was. Still, something inside him told him not to panic, not to give in. He would be stubborn until the end.

"And what would _you _gain by killing me, huh? Your threats are transparent, Zero. I can see right thr – " He was cut off as the dagger arced down, slicing through one of the legs of the table. The leg gave way, and the whole table snapped sideways, dumping the mercenary onto the floor.

Slowly, Marx remembered to breathe. He looked up at Zero, who stood calmly in front of his awestruck companions. The same vengeful fire filled the Hunter's eyes as the night before, but before Marx could look away, the fire disappeared. "So, do you have anything to share with us yet?" he asked. Marx blinked twice before the question registered. He stood up shakily.

"Okay..." He took a deep breath, as did the other two Hunters. "To be completely honest with you, my long-term memory unit might be damaged, and I've got an inkling as to why." He cast a glance at Selene, and it didn't go unnoticed. "I'll tell you what I know now."

"We're listening," Zero said.

"My name is Marx. The reason why I was with those Mavs is because I'm a mercenary; if it were a legitimate line of work, I'd have a business card. They offered to pay me five hundred credits if I accompanied them to a meeting between two Maverick groups looking to unite. I was supposed to protect them, but I didn't know they were talking about Maverick Hunters when they said there'd be trouble."

"Who did you think they were talking about, genius?"

"Lay off, I was desperate. Wasn't thinking much at all. Anyway, I don't particularly like tangling with your kind, so I tried to split. You know the story from there," Marx sighed.

"All you know about them is where you were told to meet?"

"Pretty much. Why?"

"The main reason why we need you is because Vulcan Stinger escaped capture, and we need to find him."

"Wait a second, Zero!" Axl interjected. He ran forth and grabbed the hunter by the arm and pulled him back.

"We've got a contact! Why do we need _him_ to tell us where Stinger is?" Axl whispered so Marx wouldn't hear. Zero looked a bit downcast for a moment.

"...Sylph's dead."

"What?" Axl's voice rose higher than he intended, and he saw Marx cock a brown eyebrow in their direction.

"Her helicopter was shot down on the way back to HQ," Zero whispered. Axl gave him a stern gaze.

"Wait...wasn't X in that helicopter?"

"Yes, Axl, he was."

"So...X is..." Zero shook his head.

"Don't worry, Axl, I didn't lie to you. I told you X was tracking down the maverick leader, didn't I?"

* * *

A swarm of bullets buzzed about Megaman X as he dashed across the low rooftop. As far as he could tell, the projectiles were being generated by the Maverick leader Vulcan Stinger, but he didn't have the time to look in the direction of the gunfire. He concentrated on the thrust pouring out of his boots, blasting him between cover and eating away the distance between him and the edge of the rooftop. Waves of ordnance tore through climate control generators and thick cylindrical heating ducts, but X was already past them before the Mavericks could tear through him as well. Ducking down low, X turned his thrusters off for a moment and let his feet slide across the neocrete as he was propelled by inertia off the side of the hotel.

Jumping into the air and activating his propulsion system at the last second, he launched into the air and curled into a defensive ball, the thickest parts of his armor covering his weak spots. Bullets seared his armor, shooting sparks and molten metal into the cold night air. Before the shots could do any serious damage, he was falling over the edge of the building and out of their range.

As he fell, X unfurled himself. Already having a plan in his head, he spun about in midair to face the building. Fire escapes were a thing of the past, but this section of the city was ancient, and the walkways had merely been left to rust rather than cost the city time and money in their removal. He thrust his arms out, grabbed the edge of the horizontal walkway and swung himself feet-first at the hotel. He pulverized a window, flying into a dark, unfurnished room. Nearly unfurnished. A sagging bed with a stained mattress sulked against the far wall, and next to it, two naked humans sat wrapped in a threadbare sheet, holding onto each other desperately.

The humans stared at him, and X could see the fear suddenly drain from their faces – not out of relief, but out of the certainty that they were about to die, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I'm a Maverick Hunter," he said to the couple. "I'm here to protect you."

The man's adam's apple bobbed silently, but the woman visibly relaxed. "What should we do?" she asked. "Are they here for us?"

"No," X replied. "They're here for me."

"Oh," she said, as it occurred to her that the target all those heavily armed reploids on the roof were shooting at was now standing in her hotel room.

"Stay here, lock the door, and leave the lights off. I'll deal with the Mavericks," he told them. The woman nodded, and the man tightened his grip on her shoulders.

X rushed out the door, but he waited until he heard the lock turn on the other side before continuing. Looking left, then right down the hallway at the two elevators on either end, he thought of the best route to take. He remembered the gunfire coming from the north, but they were probably moving by now.

X decided to take the south elevator, so he turned right and ran down the corridor. Punching the elevator button, the double doors slid open immediately. Fortunately, nobody was inside, so X didn't have to worry about any more humans. He hit the button marked 'roof', and the doors slid shut. As the elevator traveled upward, X readied his buster.

The moment the doors opened, X rushed out into a Maverick, who he slammed into a climate control generator while the reploid was still disoriented. Electricity coursed through the Maverick and overloaded his nerve centers. X heard shuffling and guttural battle cries, but before he could even see the other Mavericks, he let loose a charged blast. The blue-tinted energy bolt caught a beetle reploid in the chest, knocking him off the edge of the hotel. The rest of the Mavericks, who were trying to get down the fire escape, turned toward X.

Plasma and solid rounds erupted from the small group of Mavericks, and X ran to the right, firing energy bullets as he dodged and wove through enemy fire. He ran behind a disused fan box, abandoned like the fire escape after the hotel was fitted with modern climate control systems, and pressed his back against the side while he charged another shot. Bullets peppered the other side of the fan box, and X didn't know how long his cover would last. He stepped out from behind the box and fired his buster, catching a Maverick in the head and blasting it apart.

Blood and metal showered the rest of the group, somewhat dividing their attention. X took the opportunity to test out the new feature Douglas had implemented in his buster. Closing his eyes and calling up the program in his mind, X felt his body start to rearrange itself. The color of his armor shifted, ever so slightly, into a lighter metallic blue, and the barrel of his buster widened. Feeling the change complete, he stepped out from the fan box again and raised his buster.

He fired, and a ball of energy, moving much slower than a buster bolt, arced toward the Maverick group. The seething ball of blue light landed in front of the group, and as soon as it touched the neocrete, an intense concussive blast wave erupted from the spot, blowing the mavericks off the roof. _Well, Douglas should be happy to know his concussion grenade program works, _X thought to himself. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize Vulcan Stinger among the group of slain Mavericks. _He must have already gone down the fire escape..._

X stood and, knowing he was built to resist damage from high falls, ran back at the edge of the hotel and jumped off once more. This time, he let himself fall and the weight of his armor and mechanical body lent him speed. Most would be terrified of the rapid plunge, but X had done this many times before.

He hit the ground, and the neocrete below him started to give way. Dropping to his knees and planting his hands on the ground, he stopped himself from being crushed by gravity. He stood up, dislodging his feet from the street and tapping the side of his helmet.

"Zero? What's the situation?" he asked after choosing the correct frequency.

_X? Everything's under control here. We have a suspected Mav in custody, and we're on our way back to HQ. Where are you?_

"Our helicopter has been...shot down – "

_What?_

"It must have been remnants of the Maverick force we just defeated. I can tell you more when I get back. Right now I'm going after Vulcan Stinger."

_What happened to Sylph?_

"She didn't make it."

_Damn it. Do you need backup? 'Cause we can turn this 'copter around an-_

"That won't be necessary. I don't want to endanger any more Hunters than I have to," X said. He heard Zero grunt and turn off the comm. link. There was no activity to be seen in or around the street. He noticed a warehouse and construction yard a block or so away, and he figured that was as good a place as any to look for the Maverick leader.

* * *

"This guy is trouble, Zero. Do you really think it's a good idea to leave him in there?" Axl asked as Zero locked the observation room containing their new guest.

"Yeah. I think we can at least trust him to stay put unsupervised."

"I can't believe this."

"Believe it, Axl," Zero growled in a menacing tone that took the gray and black-clad reploid by surprise. "It's never too early to grow up. You can start by dropping this thing with Marx."

Axl flushed, and he fought the urge to retort. He knew he was being unreasonable, and he knew there was nothing to worry about with Marx locked in the observation room, but his wounded pride overpowered all rationality. As usual, it took one of Zero's surgically-precise insults to excise his tumorous anger.

"Sorry, Zero. I'll drop it."

"Good. You're learning. Just wait 'til X gets back, we'll have him take a look at that guy."

"Do you think it'll do any good?"

"Sure. X has a way with people."

* * *

X walked through the shadows of the old city, occasionally illuminated by a streetlight overhead. The events leading up to his current situation appeared, unbidden, in his head. The injustice of it set his metaphorical blood boiling, and instead of thinking about retiring Vulcan Stinger for the sake of protecting humanity, he started to see it as vengeance for a scared young reploid girl...

_X stood in the open helicopter, waiting while the female reploid with the thick_ _metal headband pulled herself up into the flying machine. When she stood, X cast a glance at the pilot, and they lifted off. The female walked shakily to a bench against the wall of the helicopter, but X made no move to sit down. He watched as the harbor drifted into the background, and ancient tenement buildings replaced them._

_He turned to the female, who was slumped against the wall of the helicopter. "You're safe now. The Maverick Hunters will take care of you," he said. She kept the detached stare on her face._

"_How can you trust me?" she asked. "Not only am I supposed to be infected with the Maverick Virus, but I also betrayed my former comrades."_

"_You betrayed your 'comrades' for good reason. Stinger threatened to kill you, didn't he?"_

"_Yes, but still..."_

"_You're worried about the virus acting up."_

"_Uh huh."_

"_Well, I won't lie to you. If there were a way to cure you, we wouldn't even be here. However, my superiors find it interesting that you are only affected by the virus on certain occasions. They want to run some tests on you when we get back to HQ to find out why your system is resistant to the virus."_

"_Okay," she said. "But all I really want is a peaceful place where I can get away from...this. I don't care whether I still have the virus or not. Your organization promised me amnesty for giving them the location of Stinger's group. They didn't say anything about turning me into a lab rat."_

"_You have nothing to worry about, Sylph."_

"_I wish I could say I've never heard that before." X gave her an intense gaze._

"_I'm serious. The Maverick Hunters aren't like what your comrades undoubtedly said about us. If you don't want to be tested, we won't do it. Just keep in mind that it could potentially save a lot of lives, and you could be cured."_

"_I'm sorry, but it's not worth it. I just want to get out of here. The more miles you put between me and Stinger, the better."_

_"I'll personally make sure he never finds you," X said, keeping his earnest green eyes locked on hers. "You've already done your people and the humans a great service today. I can't really ask you for more, can I?"_

_Sylph smiled and looked away. "Get me back to Hunter HQ, and you can try again."_

_The helicopter soared over the old city for a time as the passengers were silent, until a siren blared from the cockpit. The pilot cried out an instant before a hail of bullets ripped apart the cockpit shielding and plastered him across the window. X swore and his arm transformed itself into a cannon in an instant. Sylph screamed as the helicopter began to jerk wildly._

_Gunfire now sprayed through the open door, peppering X's armor and shedding sparks around the interior of the helicopter. He looked around for the source of the attack, but the helicopter started spinning and it was difficult to see the rooftops clearly._

_X grabbed the side of the open door and fired blindly, not caring if he hit anything. He was aware that they were dropping in altitude, so he turned to Sylph. "Take the controls!" he shouted to her. She nodded shakily and stood up, running to the dead pilot's chair and leaning over it to get a view of the controls._

_Their shuddering descent slowed, and the turning smoothed out. X began to see faint shapes scurrying across the hotel rooftop directly below, firing wildly at the helicopter. X managed to nail one of the attackers scrambling for cover. However, he soon noticed a shape that stood out from the others. It was completely still, and the silhouette of its geometrically-perfect armor didn't match anything in his database. The Mavericks attacked as if unaware of its existence, and X was starting to think the silhouette was a hallucination until it raised its barrel-shaped arm at the helicopter. A pinprick of light appeared at the center of the shadow's arm, and X's eyes widened._

"_Sylph!" It was too late. Incandescent energy burned through the cockpit and blood splattered over the walls as the Maverick woman's scream died away. The helicopter began to jerk and spin wildly again, and X was thrown back into a bench. Another beam tore into the rear of the helicopter, and the vehicle began to dive for the street below. Taking a running stride, X placed the edge of his boot firmly on the doorway and pushed off, jumping for the rooftop alight with gunfire..._

He didn't want to remember the woman's scream, but the sound invaded his mind repeatedly. He had looked for the humanoid Maverick with the beam cannon, but it seemed as if he had disappeared into thin air. It was possible he had left with Vulcan Stinger, but there was evidence on the rooftop of several more discharges from his laser cannon. These had been aimed at the Mavericks, and a handful of melted corpses had been left behind. Either he wasn't a Maverick after all, or they had a falling out. It didn't matter. The shadow was gone, and X had a known Maverick leader to find.

He had to remind himself of this fact repeatedly, as the bubbling fury churning under his calm exterior threatened to lure him back toward the hotel, where he might find that strange reploid's trail. Maverick or not, he had killed Sylph, and Vulcan Stinger's crimes against humanity suddenly paled in comparison.

_That's not right...think of that scared human couple, X. Think of...Sylph...damn it! _X silently raged. _She died for those humans. Those helpless, useless...no. _He couldn't shake the resentment creeping into his thoughts, and it horrified him when he realized what he was starting to sound like. _Is this what it's like to contract the Maverick Virus? After all these years, has it finally happened? _He pushed the idea from his mind. He told himself that it was just his anger talking, that he just hated to have promised Sylph her safety, only to watch her burn away in the heat of a beam cannon.

_It can't be the Maverick Virus. This has happened before... _Near the end of the Second Maverick Uprising, X and his mentor, Dr. Cain, thought that he had been infected by the Maverick Virus somehow when he almost attacked a group of humans. The incident, following X's battle with the X Hunter Violen, was blown out of proportion by the government and X had to leave the Maverick Hunters for a time until the controversy was resolved.

It was discovered later that X hadn't really contracted the virus, and that he was just suffering under extreme stress, so he rejoined the Maverick Hunters right before the Doppler Town Revolt. Tensions were high between the Neo Tokyo government and the Maverick Hunters, who were accused of harboring a criminal (They claimed X had killed innocent humans, a crime that Violen was responsible for). However, when X almost single-handedly resolved the Doppler incident, charges were dropped.

He was taking his responsibilities too seriously again, that was all. He simply couldn't maintain his gentle nature in an occupation that required him to kill on a regular basis, and he had to treat Sylph as a statistic, the way most of his fellow Hunters would. He attempted to do so as he approached the warehouse where Vulcan Stinger could have been hiding. The gate had been smashed open, and a trail of sharply pointed bootprints were left in the gravel beyond. Buster drawn, X continued through the dark loading area stacked with crates and filled with gas tankers. There was no movement at all throughout the area. X took this as a bad sign.

He made a wide berth of the gas tanker; not only was it a good spot to ambush from, but if someone tried to blow it up... X tried not to think about it. Fortunately, he passed the tanker without incident. He moved into the open warehouse cautiously. Almost instantly, the familiar rattle of a gatling cannon opened up on him. A few of the small bullets grazed his shoulder, but his armor was made to withstand plenty more than that.

He jumped and rolled before he was overwhelmed by a swarm of stinging bullets. Bringing his arm cannon to bear, he fired at the figure crouched atop a storage shelf. One blaster bolt hit him on the arm, but it didn't seem to affect the Maverick. Vulcan Stinger jumped, and his tail sprang into the ceiling, suspending him in midair. Grasping the ceiling with the claws on his forearms, Stinger began crawling rapidly toward X and firing from the swiveling gatling cannons mounted on his shoulders.

X ignored the bullets overwhelming his armor and concentrated on his buster. Shards of his own armor cut synthetic skin from his face, leaving trickles of blood-colored energy running down his cheeks. It wouldn't matter in a few seconds...

Stinger was almost above X when he let loose a full charged shot. The blazing azure ball leapt up at the Maverick, and when it hit the ceiling, a nebula of blue and carmine energy burst from Stinger's location. X jumped back just as the Maverick crashed to the floor, clutching the stump of a golden arm.

Wasting no time, Vulcan Stinger stood, hatred burning in his slitted eyes. For such a nimble, twitchy reploid, his gold armor was unusually bulky and unwieldy. The gatling cannons atop his shoulders swiveled back and forth eagerly, and his long, bladed tail followed the rhythm of the guns' movement.

"I guess it's too late to convince you to give up?" X said. Stinger laughed through viciously-pointed mandibles.

"Why do you bother asking anymore, Megaman X? You know this conflict can't be solved with words."

"At least tell me who the Maverick with the beam cannon is," X asked.

"Who?"

"The one that shot down our helicopter. Who is he?"

"I shot you down!" Stinger balked. "And I didn't need a beam cannon to do it."

"Then you may be responsible for the pilot's death, but you didn't kill Sylph," X said.

"Sylph? My scoutmaster? Why would..." he trailed off as understanding overtook him. "Of course. We were betrayed. In that case, I don't know who killed that human-loving whore, but once I find out, I'll be sure to give him a promotion."

"Shut up, Maverick," X spat, and he could feel the rage clawing its way up his throat. "If you can't help me, then I'm retiring you right now."

"Finally," Stinger muttered under his breath. The two reploids raised their weapons at the same instant. As Stinger fired, X rolled to the side. Steadying himself on his knees, he fired a concussion grenade into Stinger's chest. Small, golden chips of neosteel rained down on X as the Maverick flew across the warehouse like a rag doll toward a large energy tank. The Maverick landed several short meters from it, but as soon as he realized what happened, X had switched back to normal fire and shot a bolt of energy at the tank.

X closed his eyes, but before he did he caught a glimpse of iridescent light engulfing the warehouse. He heard other tanks exploding as well. _This must be an energy warehouse, _X thought. At least four more explosions sounded off before the sound and light died down. X opened his eyes to see the opposite side of the warehouse in ruins. A gaping hole in the wall was the only indication that Vulcan Stinger and the energy tanks had ever been there.

Heaving a sigh, X turned to leave the warehouse. Since he no longer had to worry about transporting Sylph, he could use the Instant Transit network to return to HQ once he was outside.

**Mission 1 status: Completed**

**Maverick leader: Retired**

**Main Objective: Achieved**

**Secondary Objective: Failed**

Note: Maverick contact retired by unknown assailant. Further reconnaissance necessary.

**End of Chapter 2**


	4. Chapter 3: A New Home

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 3: A New Home

By Genoscythe

Zero never knew how to act around X when he was feeling introspective, and he had been trying to figure it out for nearly a century. Sometimes X needed to talk, sometimes he needed to listen, and sometimes he needed to be left alone. The one constant during all of these moods was that he gave Zero no indication as to what he wanted. So Zero tried the only method that made _him _feel better.

"Sorry about Sylph, X," he said over a steaming cup of reploid coffee. The synthesized energy drink could have been substituted by simply loading a fresh power cell into the port on his back, but Zero would rather pretend to be drinking coffee instead. It tasted better, and it gave him an excuse to hang around and strike up a conversation with X. It wasn't always what X wanted, but at least it made Zero feel like he was being proactive.

"So am I," X replied, playing listlessly with the handle on his otherwise untouched coffee cup. "You should have heard the naïve crap I told her right before they blew her away."

"You didn't know that was gonna happen."

"But I should have honored my promises either way."

"The world doesn't always work like that, X. You know that."

"Doesn't make it any easier, though."

"Then stop thinking about it. What about Stinger? What happened to him?"

"I tracked him to an energy warehouse. One of the tanks went off during the fight, and he was vaporized."

"Did you check for a body?" Zero persisted, wanting just as much to learn of the Maverick leader's fate as he wanted to keep X's mind on tasks other than grieving over his own impotence.

"I doubt there would've been anything left of a body if I had cared to look," he replied. Normally Zero would have reprimanded X for not checking for a body, but he knew, in this kind of mood, X would latch onto any criticism and magnify it tenfold. Instead, he set his coffee down on the Hunter's lounge table and made another attempt at changing topics.

"Alia was worried about you."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Have you seen her since you got back?"

"No, I was on my way to the command center when you stopped me."

"Well, if I'd known, I wouldn't have done it," Zero said with a chuckle. "Since comms have been down, she's gone a little stir crazy in here."

"Believe me, I know," X said as he stood up. Zero detected a fraction of a percent of mirth in his tone. "Has Douglas gotten any closer to solving the problem?" Zero laid back in his seat and took another swig of coffee.

"Guess who else is going stir crazy. Douglas didn't even know there was a problem he couldn't fix until two weeks ago."

"He must be taking it pretty hard."

"Yeah, the fact that shortwave still works is making it even worse."

"How so?"

"Ask him yourself – he said you're due for a tune-up soon too."

"I was hoping he'd forgotten," X admitted. He slid his coffee cup over to Zero. "I should check on Alia."

"I'll bet she's reported you MIA by now," Zero said, grinning. "Better make it fast. I'll show you the new 'recruit' tomorrow." X nodded, picked himself up, and walked unsteadily out of the lounge toward the command center. He decided, as he went, that it had been a mistake to leave his coffee untouched, and his energy deprivation made his limbs respond as though clogged with mud. He was wholly unprepared for the rotund little reploid that burst out of the command center to greet him, and before he knew it, Douglas had wrapped his thick fingers around X's buster arm.

"So? How was the concussion grenade program?" he asked excitedly. There was a gleam in his eyes bright enough to illuminate the entire hall.

"Douglas, I've been fighting Mavericks all night, I'm running on reserves, and you're trying to pull my arm off. Again. Can I have some space, please?" The small mechanic reluctantly let go of X's arm.

"Did you use it or not?" he prodded. "I knew I should have added it to the mission parameters. 'Test concussion grenade program.' It would have been simple."

"I tested it," X spoke quickly, hoping to avoid a Douglas meltdown. "I just don't have a report ready yet. It can wait until tomorrow."

"Not even a quick analysis?" Douglas persisted.

"It was great. I retired at least three Mavericks with it."

"I can't work with 'great.' There's no reference point. Great compared to what?"

"Douglas..." X moaned, burying his face in the couch of a thick white glove.

"Fine, fine. Give me that full report as soon as you can." As soon as Douglas finished speaking, he apparently lost all interest in the blue Maverick Hunter and walked past him without a hint of recognition. X tried to continue through the doorway to the command center, but he was assaulted again by a much more pleasing but no less manic form.

"X! Where _were_ you? When the others came back without you...I didn't know what to think..." Alia rambled, having stopped herself just short of grabbing X by the shoulders and shaking him. He noticed behind her that Signas sat casually in his command chair, tipping his hat and raising an eyebrow as he caught X's attention.

"I...ran into problems. I don't want to talk about it now, but if you really want the details, I'll tell you tomorrow."

"If it bothers you, then you don't have to talk about it. I just can't stand not knowing what's happening with you."

"I know."

"I mean, I've been watching your back for years, and now...not that I watch your _back_," she added hastily, blushing. "But I try to look out for you, and now I can't..."

"I'm sorry, Alia. I wish I could promise you that I'd be safe, but I don't want to lie to you." The excitement drained from Alia's eyes, and X felt ashamed for wanting to remove the blush from her face. Any hint of her infatuation with him was a painful reminder that he wasn't ready to reciprocate, and he was trying to turn her away as gently as possible. Still, it wasn't easy for a reploid with such an acute sense of empathy, especially since a small part of him _was _ready to reciprocate.

"Don't be sorry, X. You didn't jam our communications. Ugh, I'm making this night even harder on you, aren't I?"

"No, I think I just need to recharge. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"Of course." She smiled at him, and the uneasy sensation he got from her advances, like someone had lodged a baton in his mechanical guts, hit him in full force.

"See you tomorrow, Alia," he managed.

"Sweet dreams." She gave him a mocking salute, and he returned it, extracting a giggle from her thin lips. It was a joke that they sometimes played with each other in remembrance of Alia's first few weeks as a navigator. She was a nervous wreck, and as a result she would compulsively salute every time she talked to someone, even when she was off-duty. X had to remind her that he didn't stand on ceremony, but she still saluted after every one of their conversations, no matter how many times he told her. Finally, she managed to suppress the habit when she became more familiar with her job. She retained her nervousness, however, until the beginning of the Eurasia Crisis, where she was forced to either focus on her job or snap under the pressure.

X left her with Signas to wrap up their shifts for the night, and after a short elevator ride, he was walking down the halls of the 17th Division barracks, numbly approaching his room. It occurred to him that he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to the reploid Zero had captured during the battle, but he decided it would do the mercenary good to cool his heels for the rest of the night.

Then there was Alia. He was genuinely looking forward to meeting with her, but the tightrope he had to walk every time they spoke somewhat dulled the pleasure of her company. He resolved to send Douglas his report over the 'net, as there was nothing in his company X found pleasurable, particularly his obsession with X's design. The first time he met the little mechanic, they were discussing the armor program he was able to salvage after the 4th Maverick War. In the middle of their conversation, X noticed Douglas had begun to take apart his buster arm. When prompted for an explanation, Douglas ignored him and left the room. It would not be the last time he would attempt to disassemble X's buster without the Hunter's permission, and X quickly developed a tendency to cover his right arm when Douglas was nearby.

X moved to his bed, but decided he needed a more complete recharge. He turned to the recovery capsule built into the wall and opened it, laying back against the cushioned seat and sealing the capsule shut.

* * *

"So X retired Vulcan Stinger?" Axl asked Zero as they walked down the corridor leading to the balcony at the far end of Special Unit 0's barracks.

"X _thinks _he retired him," Zero replied. "There's a bigger difference than you might think. We were pretty damn sure we killed Sigma, and look how that turned out."

"Okay, but still. If we're pretty sure Stinger's been retired, then why do we need Mr. Smart-mouth?"

"You were making such progress, Axl," Zero reprimanded. "Has it occurred to you that he might want to join us?" The young hunter let out a bitter chuckle.

"You're joking, right?" he asked. Zero fixed him with a withering glare, and Axl instinctively shrunk back.

"If he does, maybe you two could be partners. Wouldn't that be fun?" he snapped. Without another word, the taller reploid turned around and walked the other way down the hall. Axl sighed and continued on to the balcony, where the outline of a petite female Hunter could be seen silhouetted in the moonlight. Axl walked out onto the balcony and leaned next to her.

"Hey, Selene. What are you doing out here?" he asked. She didn't reply; her attention was given completely to the wasteland surrounding Maverick Hunter HQ and the distant city beyond. She had a lifeless look in her eyes that Axl found unsettling.

"I always feel like a part of me is missing when I'm not near him," she finally spoke up.

"You mean Endymion? You two were designed to be a team, so I'm not surprised," Axl replied.

"He's all the way on the first floor, still in the holo room."

"If being separated makes you feel that way, then why aren't you ever together?"

"I said it feels like a part of me is missing. I never said I enjoyed his company."

"He _is _kind of..." Axl began, chuckling as he fished for the right adjective to describe Endymion.

"Scary. He's kind of scary," she offered.

"Maybe a little."

"It's not my fault. I've tried my best to get him to open up. I guess...he just wasn't programmed like that," Selene whispered softly. Axl turned around and leaned against the balcony railing.

"They say reploids have free will, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's what makes us different from robots."

"Among other things," Selene mused, staring at her unpainted fingernails. The only differences between her fingers and a human's had to be seen through a microscope.

"Yeah. Our skin, our organs, everything. We could probably pass for human if we tried."

"Where are you going with this, Axl?" Selene asked, turning toward him for the first time.

"We're supposed to be just like humans, but there's a catch. We're not born. We're made."

"Isn't that the same thing, O Wise One?"

"Nope. Totally different, Grasshopper. When a human is born, nobody knows how they'll turn out. You know, what they'll be good at, how they'll act. But us..."

"We're designed," Selene finished, as Axl's train of thought became clear to her. "Usually for a specific purpose."

"Like Endy."

"But after we're made, we can choose to do whatever we want with our lives. That's free will."

"It doesn't seem like it to me," Axl said. "They can design us so that we don't really have a choice."

"But Axl, if we didn't possess free will, then we couldn't even _think _about something as complicated as what we're talking about now. We can question our programming, and if we want to, we can change it."

"You and Endy were designed to be Maverick Hunters. Do you ever question that?"

Selene sighed, gazing up at the moon. "No. I like what I do, though. I want to protect people, and anything else just seems like a waste of my abilities."

"That sounds like a complicated way of saying you don't have a choice."

"Axl!" Selene huffed, shoving him in exasperation. "You just think everyone's plotting against you. If we can't trust our creators, who _can_ we trust?"

"Jeez, have you got it backwards, girlie." Axl and Selene exchanged dismayed glances before turning around in unison to see a tall, gaunt Maverick Hunter in an ebony-on-orange uniform. He was leaning against the doorway with an unsettling grin on his face. "They're the _last_ ones you should trust."

"Malakai..." Axl said slowly. "The 9th barracks are a few floors down. Forget the elevator number again?"

"Nope. I thought I could squeeze in some pestering before I turned in for the night, so here I am, ready to disrupt this romantic philosophic debate of yours."

"I'd rather not hear what you have to say about free will," Selene said.

"Believe me. I could fill volumes, doll face."

"I'll take your word for it," she groaned, pushing off of the balcony railing and squeezing past Malakai.

"Hey, Selene..." Axl protested, about to follow her until Malakai stepped in his way and shoved him back. He put on a serious expression.

"I'm sorry, sir. You're gonna hafta show some ID to get in."

"Go to hell, Malakai." Malakai dropped the bouncer impression and grinned.

"You make it so easy, Axl," he said. The young reploid maintained his glare.

"Just let me through," he said.

"Why? You're not getting any from the little lady tonight," Malakai pointed out. "Or...probably ever."

"I don't care. Get out of the way, or I'll show you some of the moves Zero's been teaching me," Axl said, cheeks glowing uncontrollably.

"What are you gonna do, die on me? That'd be a neat trick."

Axl lunged forward, fist cocked. He stopped when he noticed that Malakai hadn't even flinched, and had instead broken into a fit of condescending laughter.

"Show some respect," Axl spat, lowering his arm. He elbowed the tall Hunter in the ribs as he shoved past him. The 9th Division Hunter merely continued to laugh

"Easy there, tough guy. You'll hurt yourself," Malakai called, and the young Hunter decided to start walking faster down the corridor. He felt Malakai following behind him until he passed the elevator, then the Hunter stopped and headed down to the 9th Division's quarters. When Axl reached his room, Selene was leaning against the door waiting for him.

"Did he hurt you?" she asked him. Axl chuckled.

"Malakai couldn't hurt me if he tried," he replied, though he knew that she knew he was bluffing.

"Well, I just waited so I could say goodnight. And to call the Lifesavers if I had to."

"Thanks," he said with a twist of sarcasm.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow?" Axl knew instantly that he had forgotten something important, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was. Selene merely giggled. Out of the moonlight, she seemed to have come alive again, and the distance in her stare had disappeared.

"Tomorrow is the 17th's day off! You said you'd take me into the city, don't you remember that?" At the reminder, Axl remembered telling her before they left for their mission. Plenty of things had shoved that thought to the back of his mind.

"Oh yeah! I remember now," he said. Selene gave him a fake angry glare.

"I should get my brother to knock some sense into you. You were the one that offered!" Her sternness melted into another giggle. " Just promise you won't forget again, okay?" Axl nodded.

"I promise."

She smiled and blew him a kiss. "I enjoyed our romantic philosophic debate. Let's pick it up again later, alright?" As she turned around, Axl felt the color rise in his cheeks once again.

"Okay. Goodnight, Selene," he told her. She opened the door next to his and walked inside. He lingered a moment longer before walking into his own room and retiring for the night.

* * *

Marx curled up in the corner of the observation room, taking note of his dismal accommodations. It was more of a prison cell than anything else. The only furnishings in the dim room were a regen capsule and a primitive wooden desk. There were no windows, and no openings in the door or walls. He wondered what the Hunters normally used the room for, since their policy always seemed to be shoot first and ask questions never. It did not occur to him that, if he were right about the Maverick Hunters, he would have gotten a bullet in his head rather than the privilege of spending a night in this prison cell.

The reploid mercenary felt naked without his combat armor; though he was wearing a generic uniform, it wouldn't give him any defense against his captors if they decided to come back. Especially Zero. There was something wicked inside that Maverick Hunter, though he didn't think anybody else saw it. He frantically looked for something to use as a weapon, but he found nothing. The Hunters were thorough. He got up slowly, intending to use the regen capsule.

He stopped himself. What if they had booby trapped it? Marx shook his head. Now he was just being paranoid. What could the hunters gain from killing him? _Other than sadistic pleasure, _he thought to himself.

_But what could they gain by keeping me alive?_ If Zero was telling the truth about operating outside of the law – and, given Marx's brief but eye-opening experience with the law, he found the idea easy to believe – then they could just kill him and be done with it. They said they wanted his help finding Vulcan Stinger, but he already knew they wouldn't like what he had to tell them.

_Sorry guys, just a paid flunkie too stubborn to give in to the Sigma Virus. Could you please let me out of the cell and maybe get me a taxi back to the city? _They would love that.

Sighing in resignation, he stepped up to the capsule and slid the hatch open. Looking around at his surroundings once more, he stepped into the cylinder. _Welcome to your new home, Marx, _he thought.

Seeing as how he was still alive, Marx considered it safe to press the button and resign himself to shutdown.

* * *

Zero lay back in his regen capsule, mulling over the thoughts spinning in his head. He didn't know why he was being so protective of Marx. The mercenary was a total stranger, and a lewd one at that. Still, Zero scared off his own trainee for him. Marx had even shot him, and he didn't feel any real need for retribution. Not since the red haze passed over him, but that was a mercifully brief episode. It had to be the feeling of nostalgia he got from the reploid. Who did he resemble, and more importantly, why did Zero care so much? He searched his memory, but nothing came to him.

A loud thump jarred the reclining Hunter out of his past, and he craned his head to watch as the past came to life before his eyes. Iris stood in his blackened room, pressing a blood-soaked hand against the glass of his capsule. In the dim light beyond, Zero could see her vacant face yawning at him, letting strings of blood hang from her gouged lips. They dripped from her chin and pattered against her chest, running down her armor until they fed into the huge gash cleaving open her abdomen. She raised her other hand and thumped it against the glass as well, leaning forward and allowing all the blood pooling in her mouth to burst out and splatter across his capsule. Zero rolled over until all he could see was the blank gray wall of the cylinder.

"Oh, come on," he murmured. "You didn't bleed that much."

He could still hear the apparition retching and banging on his capsule up until the moment the auto-shutdown program kicked in, and then the nightmares began.

**End of chapter 3**


	5. Chapter 4: Nephtis

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 4: Nephtis

By Genoscythe

The door to the mercenary's room slid open and X stepped inside, trailing Zero behind him. Light crept into the room, and they could see the reploid in the generic uniform closed inside a regen capsule. "He looks harmless to me," X said.

"Don't tell that to Axl," Zero scoffed. "He's not much of a fighter, if that's what you mean."

"I don't know what I mean," X replied, pressing his palm against the glass capsule door. "I just get the feeling that he's not a bad person."

"Let's wake him up before you decide what kind of person he is."

"You talked to him. What do you think?"

"I think once I knock him around enough, he'll make a decent Hunter."

"So he hasn't been cooperative," X deduced.

"That's what you're here for."

"I take it you've already tried knocking him around?"

"That's what _I'm_ here for," Zero said with a devious smirk.

"Well, let's try the good cop approach, and see if that works."

Zero nodded and they both moved over to the regen capsule. X pressed a few buttons on the side and the door on the capsule slid upward into the wall. The mercenary's eyes fluttered open, and he looked around the room. He was vaguely aware of the two figures standing over him, so he sat up. When his vision cleared, he recognized Zero, along with a new Hunter, standing before him. The other Hunter spoke to him.

"What's your name?" the Hunter in the blue uniform asked.

"I figure Zero would've told you by now," the mercenary replied. Zero sighed.

"His name is Marx. He's going to cooperate with us to avoid being labeled a Maverick, right, Marx?"

"Yeah, 'cause I love it when people blackmail me," Marx retorted. "I'm all ready to spill my guts now, Red."

"I guess you forgot about our talk last night. Do you want me to bring out the knife again?" The mercenary said nothing. "Personally, I hope you do. That was a hell of a good time. But it's your choice, Maverick."

"Hold it, Zero," X whispered. "Let's try my way."

The gleam in Zero's eyes subsided, and he stepped back. The Hunter in the blue uniform clasped his hands behind his back and bent his head toward Marx.

"My name is Megaman X," he said. "I've been fighting for peace between humans and reploids almost my entire life. I've been forced to retire many Mavericks, and I can see that you're not one of them."

"Fighting for peace. Good one," Marx said, though his sarcasm hadn't come out as sharp as he had expected it to.

"I didn't choose this life. None of us did, not even the Mavericks. They're enslaved by a malignant computer virus, and until we find a way to purge that virus, we have no choice but to fight them. You can help us, Marx."

"Or what?" he asked warily.

X gave him a beatific smile. "Are you telling me you'll only help us if the punishment for refusing is harsh enough? Will you only attempt to save lives if it spares you from some kind of torture? Are you that kind of reploid?"

Marx didn't know what to say. He only knew that, strangely, he wanted to prove this reploid wrong. He'd heard of Megaman X, and he'd even done some research on his background before the incident that turned him into a gun-for-hire. If the father of all reploids had been wearing his combat armor, Marx would have recognized him immediately. X may have been a Maverick Hunter, but Marx still held a shred of respect for him, and he considered it a challenge to show X that he was worth more than his bullheaded cynicism suggested.

"If you want to save some lives that can still be saved," X continued. "Tell us how you were hired by the Mavericks."

"There was a research base," he began. "I found it on accident. It was underground, out west in the barrens."

"What were you doing in the middle of nowhere?" Zero asked. He seemed a little disappointed that X had been able to talk Marx into cooperation.

"If you have to know – and you don't – I was running with a band of mercs, and they got tired of me. We were camping in the barrens, and when I woke up the next morning, they were all gone and my chaser was scrapped."

"So you wandered into the Maverick base," X concluded.

"Well, wandered over it. Stinger himself came out to kill me, thinking I was a Hunter scout. I recognized him from the wanted bulletins, so I offered my services to him. He must've noticed how clueless I was, 'cause he brought me inside and told me what he wanted me to do. We negotiated a fee – pretty pathetic compared to my usual rate, but I wasn't in any shape to complain."

"Wait a second," Zero interjected. "They were willing to pay you? Just like that?"

"Yeah. The Mavericks aren't nearly as bad as you Hunters try to make 'em out to be."

"Did they make you take anything?" X asked. "Anything at all?"

"No. They didn't make me take anything. They gave me an energy cell when I asked for one, but that's it."

"Have you felt anything unusual since they gave you that cell?" Zero put his hands on the edge of the capsule and leaned forward.

"I'm fine," Marx said uneasily. " I still feel exactly the same as I did last week."

"Last week! He gave you the cell last week?" Zero asked.

"Yeah. One week and two days ago." Zero turned to X and they began talking quietly. Marx caught a sliver of what they were saying.

"...checked out clean!"

"...maybe there was something else in..."

"...Douglas look at him?"

"...he might never put the poor guy back together again..." The rest of the conversation was inaudible to Marx. He hoped that whatever was going to happen to him didn't involve this 'Douglas' guy. He hadn't thought much about the energy cell, but now that he did, he became worried. _They say I checked out clean for the Sigma Virus, but..._ He didn't want to follow that thought any longer. Zero began talking to him, bringing him out of his daze.

"We want you to see a mechanic in the hangar. She can run a better diagnostic than we can up here."

"She?" Marx raised an eyebrow. This may not be so bad after all.

"Her name is Nephtis. Find her in section D."

Marx laughed. "Aren't you going to escort me or something?"

"No. The exit doors only open with authorization, and besides, I believe you genuinely want to help us," X said.

"And you're surrounded by Maverick Hunters, so forcing your way out would qualify as a bad idea," Zero pointed out cheerfully. Marx groaned at this, and hoisted himself out of his capsule.

"Hangar, huh?"

"Yeah. Use the elevator. The button for the hangar is labeled." Marx walked out of the room, leaving X and Zero standing there.

"That energy cell must have had the virus in it. It's not like the Mavericks to pay someone to work for them when they could just infect them. Do you think it's a good idea to let him wander around on his own? What if he _does _have the virus, but we can't detect it? Some kind of new strain, or something," Zero suggested.

"He won't try to escape," X replied simply.

"Willing to bet on that?"

"Remember, Zero. We're doing it my way now."

* * *

"Hey, do you know someone named Nephtis?" Marx asked a mechanic in hangar section D. The Hunter pointed to the section of small work rooms in the middle of the hangar and told him the number of her room. He walked over to the cluster of little buildings and looked for the correct number. When he found it, he knocked on the door loudly.

"Gimme a minute," a female voice with a lilting Arabic accent spoke from the interior. Marx waited, and at length she opened the door. Marx didn't quite know what to do. He wanted his jaw to drop, but then the steely woman in front of him would probably kill him. He wanted to look away so it wouldn't look like he was staring, but he also never wanted to take his eyes off of her. He wanted to run back to his little empty room and avoid doing any of these things. Instead, he stood there and began to stammer to the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Erm...you must be, Nephtis, right?" Without saying a word, her deep hazel eyes examined him from head to toe, glittering like buried gems in the midst of her dark eyeshadow. It looked as though she had rubbed charcoal into her eye sockets, and the effect was inexplicably enchanting. Only after she was done with her thorough evaluation did she reply.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that. Are you the mercenary Zero mentioned? You're a perfect fit for the armor he gave me last night."

"Ah, yeah, I am," he mumbled, hating every half-formed syllable. " You have my armor?"

"Selene almost turned your helmet inside-out, but I hammered it back into shape."

"I'm fine, by the way," he said, trying desperately to recover his wit and only managing to sound like an asshole.

"You're welcome. Now what do you want?"

"Zero wants you to give me a diagnostic. A Maverick gave me an energy cell he thinks had the Sigma Virus in it, but I haven't gone Maverick yet. He wants to know why." The beautiful, dark-haired woman laughed.

"He wants me to open you up? You're kidding, right?" Marx shook his head. "I'm not a bloody doctor. Why didn't he send you to the Lifesavers? Or Douglas? He loves to take people apart."

"It doesn't look like you know how to follow orders very well, lady," he said, Asshole Marx still standing in for Clever Cynical Marx.

"Lady! Who do you think you are to tell me how to do my job, huh?"

"Your job is to check out my systems and find out what was in that cell the Mavs gave me. I can't tell you how to do your job if you won't do it at all!"

"You're not my superior. Hell, you aren't even a Maverick Hunter. Why should I listen to you?"

"Because my order came from Zero. He's superior enough, isn't he?"

"If Zero wants me to do something, he can come down here himself, can't he?"

"Fine, if you want me to get him, I will."

"Either get Zero or get out of my way."

Marx grunted and turned around. "I don't know if I want someone like you messing around with my insides anyway," he muttered under his breath, but apparently she heard him. Expecting a rebuttal, Marx turned around when all was silent. A familiar helmet flew into his face and smashed his forehead, knocking him backward and almost sending him onto the floor. His blue and gray helmet fell into his hands as the rest of his armor tumbled out of Nephtis's doorway. Rage boiled inside the mercenary, and he took a deep breath.

The entire hangar turned to listen to the immense string of curses resonating from the reploid in front of Nephtis's office. When it subsided, one of the mechanics got a call on his commlink, and he tapped the receiver. "Hangar section D," he said monotonously.

_This is Zero. Did you see the mercenary come by yet? _The mechanic was forced to chuckle a little.

"Yes, we _all _saw him. He just finished cussing out Nephtis."

_Ah, hell. I knew this would happen._

"If you need something, sir, can I help you instead?"

_That depends. How much do you know about reploid anatomy?_

"I'm a chaser mechanic, sir. I could get Douglas for you, if you want someone who knows anatomy."

He heard Zero sigh on the other side of the link._ Don't bother. Sounds like I'm gonna have to come down there myself._

"Understood, sir." The commlink went silent. Moments later, the mercenary reploid strode past donned in his navy blue combat armor. He was on his way to the elevator when the double doors opened and Zero walked out looking furious, though fortunately not glowing-red-eyes furious. He walked up to the mercenary. Immediately, Marx opened his mouth.

"It wasn't-"

"...your fault, I know. Nephtis likes to be a pain, but she's the best at what she does."

"Isn't there anyone else that can check me out? She said you guys have some Lifesavers."

Zero shook his head. "Frankly, we don't want you anywhere near our medical supplies. Just because we couldn't detect the Sigma Virus in you last night doesn't mean you're safe. If you have a virus that spreads to our energy stores, we're in trouble."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Marx replied.

"Now you're an expert?" Zero asked.

"I know my own body."

Zero leaned toward him, until his angular features were hovering uncomfortably close to Marx's face. "That's a dangerous assumption," the progenitor of the Maverick Virus told him. He walked past the mercenary and headed toward Nephtis's workroom. After knocking on her door, another argument erupted between the Hunter and the mechanic. This time, Marx refrained from commenting. At length, she agreed to run a cursory diagnostic, though she refused to perform anything invasive. Marx was okay with that.

He was laid on a metal table, and Nephtis began gathering tools for the operation. Behind her back, the mercenary whispered to Zero, "Make sure she doesn't rig a time bomb in my chest or something." The Hunter laughed, and the mechanic cast a glare back at them. In a few moments, Marx was shut down and Nephtis began the procedure. Soon, she had his energy cell port open and manually pulled out the capsule they were looking for.

She shut the port and moved to his forearm, where she detached his armor and peeled away his gray uniform. She cut into his smooth, unblemished skin, folding back layers of slate-colored imitation muscle until she found his metal endoskeleton, and the various tubes snaked around it. She extracted a sample of his energy supply by tapping into one of his fuel lines with a syringe, and she hooked a scanner into one of his nerve cables to take a reading of his impulse patterns. When she was satisfied with her samples, she sealed him up with palpable relief and deposited her tools on a nearby bench.

"Well, I need time to finish studying the results. And space," Nephtis said. Marx rebooted slowly, feeling around to make sure he hadn't been tampered with.

"Are you done?" Marx asked, and Nephtis sighed theatrically.

"She wants us to leave, Marx," Zero filled in. "Let's – " Suddenly, he turned around and placed a hand against the side of his helmet.

"...Okay, where?" He was speaking in a hushed voice into his commlink. "...I'm on it. See if you can get X to intercept it first, though." He turned back to the two reploids. "I need to take care of something. _You _stay _right _there!" he barked at Marx. The mercenary was about to protest, but the crimson Hunter was already running to the elevator by the time he could open his mouth. He looked at Nephtis.

"Don't think you're staying here," she said, raising an eyebrow. " I've had enough of you for one lifetime."

"But Zero said..."

"Are you gonna hide behind Zero every time someone tells you to do something? Besides, this is my workplace. I have a right to kick you out."

"A right! I'll say again, I don't think you know how to follow orders very well."

"Zero never gave _me _any orders. He told you to stay here, that's got nothing to do with me."

"If you kick me out, then you're interfering with my orders."

"If I kick you out, then it's your problem, not mine."

"Fine!" Marx practically yelled as he got off of the operating table and walked out of the workroom. "I expected this treatment from the kid Hunter, but not from someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Nephtis echoed icily, following him out to make sure he wouldn't try to come back. "What am I like?"

"Nevermind," Marx grunted. "I'm going."

"Ya gazma yibn ig-gazma," Nephtis spat, rooting Marx to the spot as she turned her back on him and sauntered back into her office. Marx sighed as he watched her go. He could tell that whatever she'd just said was meant to be an insult, but the rhythm and flow of her words struck him deeper than the venom they were supposed to contain. And she was so beautiful, in spite of all that anger. Darkly toned skin, straight, silky golden brown hair, loose tank top and, of course, those charcoal pit eyes. Quite a refined chassis, too. _Her creator has good tastes,_ he thought.

* * *

Klaxons blared throughout Maverick Hunter HQ, and from her vantage point huddled in the corner of an abandoned office block, the Maverick known as Diamond Edge watched groups of Hunters rush past the open doorway. They were looking for the intruder who had eviscerated four Hunters and left a trail of blood halfway across the third floor of the base. They weren't looking for a pale reploid woman with pinned-up hair and a translucent white dress, who appeared just as unarmed and terrified as any of the HQ's noncombat staff.

Diamond Edge's quiet sobbing attracted the attention of a lone Hunter, who ducked through the doorway with his buster pointed at the floor.

"Ma'am, we're locking this floor down. Come with me, I'll get you to safety," he told her, and she watched through beaded teardrops as his gaze wandered from her immaculate face down to the valley of her cleavage. It was hard to avoid. Diamond Edge had seen many women do it, too, if only for the curiosity factor.

"I-I'm afraid to move..." she wailed, trembling. The Hunter moved closer and took her by the wrist.

"I'll take care of you. Come on, now." He pulled her to her feet, and she swooned against him.

"Please...p-please protect me," she gasped, clutching his neck with her right hand while encircling his waist with her left. The Maverick Hunter paused for a moment to savor the erotic aura that radiated from this oddly well-dressed woman. Then, he found something else to give him pause. The flesh of her right hand parted down the middle, and a razor-sharp blade flashed out, piercing his neck and bursting out the other side. Diamond Edge dragged him to the corner as he gargled leaking reactor fuel, and she rubbed some of the substance on her sparkling dress before she screamed and ran out into the hall.

The Maverick immediately collided with a Hunter, and she flung her arms around him wildly. "Oh my God, help! It went that way!" She released one hand to point back into the office block. For the first time, she checked to see who she had latched herself onto. It was none other than Zero, the Maverick antihero.

"Uh..." Even the legendary reploid was speechless in her embrace. Diamond Edge relished the thought. Zero tapped his commlink absent-mindedly. "X, it's trying to cut through office block 2. Um...heading east. I'm okay, I've got a civilian here, I'm gonna try to get her out."

"Thank you so much," Diamond Edge mewled, clutching him with desperate abandon. Looking down at her, Zero could see her body underneath the flimsy, translucent dress she wore.

"You're a little overdressed for a day at the HQ," Zero said, trying to be nonchalant. He disentangled himself from her in order to take her by the hand and start leading her to the elevators.

"What a nightmare! M-my boyfriend, he's a Hunter. I wanted to surprise him, he didn't know I was coming to visit. I got all dressed up, I came up here, and then this..._thing _smashed through the window and started chopping everyone up."

"What did it look like?" Zero asked.

"Disgusting. It was all a big mass of swords and daggers, with this weird bug-looking head."

"No worries, then," Zero said. "Blades are my specialty."

"Don't go after it!" she cried. "I don't want you to leave me here."

Zero glanced at her, watching as she tugged on her dress. He forgot where he was going.

"I'm not leaving you, lady. Trust me."

"Call me Kamilah," Diamond Edge said.

"Alright, Kamilah. Who's your boyfriend? Maybe I know him."

"Probably not. He's kind of a loser," she scoffed.

"Doesn't look like it from where I'm standing."

"Oh, my," she purred. A group of Hunters rushed past them in the windowed corridor, elbowing her aside brusquely. She cried out, turning toward Zero and draping her arms over his shoulders again.

"This is horrible. I just wanted to give my boyfriend a nice surprise...what if it got him?"

"Your boyfriend's probably fine," Zero said, subconsciously kneading her supple waist. "Not a lot of casualties yet. Got the Mav on the run. Hey, once you're finished with your boyfriend, how about giving me a nice surprise, too?" he asked, acutely aware that it had been far too long since his last nice surprise.

"Wow, Zero," she said. "They were right about you." She arched her back, rubbing her navel against Zero's chest. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed to crystalline slits. "You _are _as foolish as the rest of them." A blade burst from her chest and imbedded itself in his. Zero's eyes widened, and his grip on her waist was released. "Maybe more foolish. I've never been outright propositioned before. I wonder what makes you so desperate?" Her blade slid back into her body and her skin closed together perfectly, as if she were made of clay.

Zero fell back against a window, leaving a dark red stain as he slid to the floor and giving the illusion that the paint on his armor was rubbing off on the glass. Diamond Edge looked down at her dress. It was covered in blood now, and there was shouting in her direction from the far end of the hall. Her cover was blown, and she hadn't found her target, but the chance to assassinate Zero had been too tantalizing to pass up. Vulcan Stinger would be furious.

She was about to drive another blade into the prone Hunter, but suddenly she was knocked off her feet and sent sprawling down the corridor. Diamond Edge got up and turned around to see a Maverick Hunter clad in blue armor, holding a smoking buster in front of him. She knew instantly that this was the one she had been sent to kill.

Every blade in her body instantly unsheathed. She was a human-sized grinder with a woman's head. She wondered for a moment why Megaman X would not fire at her, but then she started running at him. She was not aware that he was gathering energy into his buster. She leapt over Zero, about to fall on the azure Hunter and instantly tear him to shreds when he let loose a massive blast of energy that engulfed her completely. If her blades hadn't been extended, the shot could have killed her.

Instead, she was merely knocked across the hall again, but now she was disoriented. Her blades retracted, and before she could sort out the warning signals flashing across her vision, she felt a strong hand around her neck. Then, she was being thrown into a window. The strong glass exploded and she continued on. X raised his buster and fired at the retreating form. The shot took her in the chest, and she was propelled out of sight with only a trail of smoke to mark her passage. The azure hunter spun around and ran to Zero as other Hunters found the scene. One Hunter inspected his wound, then he was unceremoniously hauled off to the medlab.

* * *

Marx was surprised to find Nephtis reemerging from her office. Though he was leaning his back against a work station, he could hear the door open. Without looking back, he called out to her. "What did you say to me?" He could practically feel her stiffen.

"I didn't say anything. I just need a new spanner," she said.

"No, before," he specified. "It sounded insulting." Silence ensued, and Marx expected her to walk back into her office or throw something at him.

"I called you a shoe," she said at length.

"You called me a shoe?"

"Shoes are dirty. It's worse if you're Egyptian."

Marx laughed, risking a peek at her by disguising it as one of his convulsions. Yes, she was still gorgeous, and yes, she still looked borderline-homicidal. "Okay, so I'm a shoe. How about Nephtis? What does that mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything," she snapped, digging through one of her many toolboxes.

"Of course it does. Even _my_ name means something, and I'm a nobody."

"I've already forgotten your name."

"I never told you. It's Marx. It means 'created by a crazy old Russian guy with an unhealthy fascination for 19th-century philosophers.'"

"I wouldn't have guessed. You don't seem like a communist." Nephtis found her spanner, but she had yet to retreat to her workroom. She sat on the edge of a table, watching him just as critically as she had the moment they met.

"I'm not. Neither was my old man. I mentioned he was crazy, right?"

"Why are you still here?" she asked.

"Because I don't see Zero around anywhere, and you haven't kicked me out yet _or_ told me about your name."

"Then why do you care so much about my name?" There was a hard undercurrent to the question that hadn't been there previously, and there was even a hint of panic. It sounded like the tone a shoplifter might take on after someone asks them why they've suddenly gotten so fat.

"Because you care about it," Marx answered. "And you don't want to tell me. I'm _way_ too stubborn to let that slide."

"If I give you a hint, will you leave me alone?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not," he said. She didn't reply. Instead, she returned to her office. He was about to protest when she reemerged from the doorway, carrying a thick, deep brown book. She strode up to him, dropped the book carelessly and let it thud onto the operating table. The thin pages rustled unhappily for a moment before the tome settled down.

"Knock yourself out," she said. Without another word of explanation, she retreated to her office again, but not before he caught her lips twitching slightly upward. He didn't even know what the book was about, due to the blank cover and Nephtis's lack of direction, but that was fine. He was pretty sure he had gotten her to smile.

**End of chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5: Duel on Highway 3

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 2: Secure Hostages

Chapter 5: Duel on Highway #3

By Genoscythe

**Mission 2: Secure Hostages**

**Maverick Leader: Hail Magnum**

**Main Objective: Minimize human casualties**

**Secondary Objective: Retire all Mavericks in the area of the Sky Lagoon and Highway #3**

**Commence Operation**

Marx had negotiated a room upgrade with Zero after the Hunter had come out of the medlab. Now, he had a regen capsule, a worn-out desk, AND a bed. Not much of an upgrade. His room was still windowless and the door was reinforced. Fortunately, now he had something to occupy himself with. He was presently laying on the bed, looking at the book Nephtis had given him. It contained an exhaustive record of Egyptian mythology, complete with hieroglyphics and ancient drawings. So far, he had found no references to her name, and considering the tome was apparently filled with every myth the ancient Egyptians had come up with, he didn't expect to find it any time soon. All he could tell was that they were crazy about animals; most of which were extinct, Marx realized, except for cats.

Finally, he got to a section on Osiris, the god of the Underworld. He was about to skip ahead when he picked out the word 'Nephtis' in the midst of the page. A knock echoed out from the door, startling him. "Damn it," he said aloud, slamming the book shut. A moment later, the door hissed open and Zero walked in, dressed in full combat armor.

"How'd you like to start earning your keep? We've got a mission, and we could use you." Zero told him.

"Oh, thanks. I've been waiting for the chance to repay you for locking me up, and I was thinking that a reploid killing spree would be perfect for that." Marx's voice was dry enough to penetrate Zero's aura of calm.

"You know, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I don't know why, but I did. I thought you could turn the attitude around and join us."

"What made you think I'd do something like that, Red?" he asked innocently.

"Obviously it was a mistake. Don't worry, you won't get the opportunity to gain my respect again." He turned around abruptly and walked out the door. It closed and locked behind him. Marx got up and moved to the door.

"Hey! Zero! Are you gonna let me out of here, or what?" he called. There was no reply, either because the Hunter had already left, he was choosing to ignore him, or the door was too thick for his voice to penetrate. Marx returned to his bed and flopped down with a sigh. "The good doctor always said I'd blow it at the interview..."

* * *

"Where's Marx?" X asked.

"He isn't coming," Zero replied curtly.

"Why not?"

"To be perfectly honest with you, X, I think he's a coward. Either that, or he's too damn stubborn for his own good. We're better off without him, at least for this mission," Zero said. X looked over his shoulder, and the blonde Hunter knew what he was thinking. "We've gotta go. Don't bother trying to talk sense into him."

"Okay, but I want to find Axl first."

"This is supposed to be your day off. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't even at the HQ."

"I understand, but I want to check one more time. Like you said, we need all the help we can get."

"Fine. I'll meet you at the Sky Lagoon," he said, with a resigned sigh. X nodded. Within moments, Zero was a speeding ball of light, disappearing into the ceiling. Immediately, X walked in the direction Zero had come from. He came to the door that Marx was being held behind and opened it without knocking. The mercenary was flipping through a book on his bed.

"I don't think you know the situation here, Marx," X said. He didn't even look up.

"You want me to help you hand out pension plans to some of our fellow reploids," he said bitterly.

"What?" X asked, momentarily bewildered.

"Y'know. Retire them."

X took a deep breath, bracing himself for a difficult argument. Perhaps Zero was right, but perhaps Marx just needed a softer touch. "There's been a riot at a mall in the Sky Lagoon. The security force has been wiped out, and the Maverick leader there is threatening the humans he has trapped. We aren't going there to retire those Mavericks, we're going to protect and rescue the trapped humans."

"Of course, that sounds like the PR answer I'd expect from – " When Marx rolled on his side and looked into X's eyes, all he saw was sincerity. The words caught in his throat; he had never seen purity like that before. "I don't want to kill anyone," he mumbled cautiously.

"It's entirely up to you," X said. "But I've learned from experience that it's sometimes unavoidable."

"You really just want to save the humans," Marx stated.

"I never set out on a mission preparing to retire Mavericks. I only think of the innocent lives I can save with my actions."

"Whether you think about it or not, you're still killing," the mercenary pointed out. "It's disgusting no matter what kind of spin you put on it."

X bowed his head before speaking again. "You're right, Marx. It's disgusting. I hate it, and if I don't concentrate on the good I can do, it becomes...overwhelming."

"Have you ever thought about a career change?"

"I've tried that. It's just not meant to be," he whispered. "They won't let me live in peace."

"Who?"

"Everyone."

For once, Marx was speechless. He had no idea a person could pursue an ideal with such conviction, and yet be so repulsed by it. In that moment, he could see how vulnerable the famous Maverick Hunter truly was, and in the face of X's torment, all of his excuses seemed petty and weak. With a grimace, he stood up and shut the book.

"Where's my combat armor?"

* * *

Half an hour prior

A human in a loose shirt and pants walked slowly toward Hail Magnum's hiding spot in the back of the store. Once the human was sure he was in the shadows, he lit a long tube that Magnum was certain was some kind of illegal drug. The human had not yet noticed him, though they were standing fairly close together. Magnum decided now was as good a time as any to start the riot.

The human's eyes widened as the darkness in front of him exploded in a flash of heat and light. He died instantly as a large bullet blew his chest open and knocked him back into the light, where the clothing store was instantly consumed by screams. Hail Magnum barged into the center of the store, covered from head to foot in creamy white battle armor. He raised his arms and let loose a torrent of bullets, bathing the store in steaming swaths of blood.

It didn't take long for mall security to notice the clothing store being torn up. However, the storm of bullets prevented them from entering the store, and they were forced to pile up on either side of the shattered glass display windows. One guard activated a commlink and called the Neo Tokyo Defense Agency. In the middle of his call, the squat Maverick ran through the entrance of the shop and blew away his partner with two shots. Forgetting about the NTDA operator he was talking to, he grabbed his gun and fired at the reploid's back. The bullets barely scraped his armor.

Hail Magnum turned around and, shielding his unprotected eyes with one cannon-arm, he silenced the guard with the other. However, the guard's call had already been partially broadcast, and more armored security guards were closing in to slow him down further. He looked over the railing at the plaza below, bustling with humans and reploids trying to escape the firefight.

Now, as the security guards tightened their net, Hail Magnum decided to make his play. Out of his dull gray backpack came a long, thin grabbing arm clutching a tiny capsule. The grabbing arm flicked the capsule over the railing, then he opened fire in both directions at the guards rushing at him. The blue armored humans fell in waves before the capsule hit the ground near the fountain below and shattered.

Despite all the activity above them, the single action that halted all movement in the main plaza was the breaking of the small glass capsule. Following the capsule's descent came the Maverick with autocannons for arms. He landed in the midst of a group of people, shaking the ground around them. The guards on the catwalk above ran for the escalator.

Suddenly, every reploid in the mall dropped to the ground, clutching their heads and wailing. The humans began panicking, but none of them dared to move. Hail Magnum looked about in contempt, and soon he was once again faced by mall security. "Deactivate your weapons and surrender!" one of the kevlar-protected humans said as they all raised their handguns. "The Maverick Hunters are on their way. Give up now, and you will be tried as a free reploid."

"But I'm not a free reploid!" Hail Magnum howled. "Not yet. I won't be free until they're all dead."

The security guards were moments away from firing at the short Maverick when he suddenly deactivated his cannon arms and held them up vertically. The security guards closed in on him, and he waited patiently. If it weren't for the white faceplate covering all but the slits of his eyes, they would have noticed his wicked grin and realized what Magnum had done. As it stood, they were completely unaware of the catastrophe brewing around them.

A human woman screamed, and it was all the warning the security force would get before one of the guards was tackled by a nearby reploid. The machine began savagely beating the human on the head, reducing it to a pile of bloody mush as the other mall security turned in horror at the new development.

Reploids all throughout the mall began to rage out of control and fly at their human companions. The security guards were swarmed upon and torn apart, and Hail Magnum cackled gleefully as the mall quickly became a charnel house. However, when he was satisfied, he held up one of his arms and yelled, "Stop!" Immediately all of the reploids froze. "I have plans for the humans left alive! Bring anyone you can find back to me!" Mindlessly, the infected reploids began picking up battered and occasionally unconscious humans and hauling them to lay cowering before the Maverick leader.

* * *

Axl walked down the smooth, metal walkway of the rebuilt Sky Lagoon with Selene at his side. They were both excited to be visiting the new mall installed over Highway #3; it was the last segment of the new hovering bazaar to be completed since the Maverick attack that destroyed it and sparked the Repliforce War over thirty years ago. To acknowledge the event that set off the most horrific conflict between uninfected reploids the world had ever seen, the mall was having a sale. "I hope you're taking me to a fancy place for lunch. I had to _beg_ Zero to give me the day off too, and it wasn't easy," Selene said, pressing her hand into his.

"If it was that much trouble, then we didn't have to do this," Axl replied. Selene merely laughed.

"I was joking, Axl. It really wasn't easy to get the day off, but I don't care."

"I'll bet Zero was pissed."

"He was, until he decided to double my recon hours for next week."

"Ouch. Sorry."

"I told you, dummy, I don't care!" she cried gleefully. Axl didn't know what it was about sunlight that lit up her personality so drastically – it was as if she were a lantern, dark and hollow inside until she had enough illumination to give off her own light. "And don't worry about lunch either, I've heard of some good reploid restaurants here."

Axl suddenly became aware of her hand intertwined in his. Color rising in his face, he looked away at the buildings they were walking next to. Due to the openness of the Sky Lagoon's walkways, he had a clear view of the office and apartment buildings outside. He was forced to look back when Selene pointed out a flying ad soaring over their heads. He was surprised to find that she was also struggling to control a blush.

"It's too bad Commander X still has duty," Axl spoke up.

"X wouldn't know what to do with free time if he ever let himself have some," Selene replied.

"Does he have any hobbies?" he asked.

"I don't know. You're in his division. What does he talk about when you're not talking about Maverick Hunter stuff?"

Axl had to think about it, and even after he had, there wasn't much to say. "He seems to like birds."

"Does he ever go birdwatching?"

"No, he just...likes them. Hey, don't look at me like that, it's all I can come up with."

"X must be so lonely," Selene concluded. "And he's old, now. How is he still sane after all these years?"

"Maybe he used to go birdwatching, but he got tired of it."

"Cute, Axl. Why doesn't he ask Alia out on a date? Everyone knows she's after him."

"I brought up X's love life with Zero one time. He hit me and pretended I hadn't said anything."

Selene laughed again, involuntarily this time.

"What's so funny about me getting punched by Zero?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sure it's a lot funnier in my head than it was in real life," she said.

"Yeah! He wasn't laughing, and neither was I," Axl muttered. "Nobody thinks it's a big deal whenever I get beat up."

"Are you still upset over that mercenary? He shot you _once_, and it wasn't even that bad."

"I'm not upset over being shot anymore. I'm upset because Marx is a pretentious jerk, and it doesn't seem to bother anyone but me. He acts like he's better than us, he calls us murderers – like that guy's never killed anyone before – and then Zero turns around and says he might make a good Hunter!" Axl spat. Selene sighed and shook her head.

"I think you're still upset over being shot," she said. Axl took a breath to begin another tirade, but she put a free finger to his lips. "Luckily for you, I find it endearing and not annoying. It's a fine line, though."

Axl heard the veiled warning, and nodded mutely. Selene released his lips and gave him a disarming smile. "Hey, I think we're close to the mall," she pointed out, looking at a directory as they walked past. The crowd had thinned out completely, and the abandoned concourse set Axl on edge. He decided to turn up the sensitivity in his ears, and almost instantly, he picked up something he never expected on his day off.

"I hear screaming!" he hissed to Selene. "Turn up your volume."

"What do you mean, I don't..." As she increased the sensitivity of her audio equipment, the faint whisper of a shriek registered from the building ahead. "Oh god. It's coming from the mall."

They broke into a run, releasing their hands from each other. As they came closer to the mall, they heard more screaming, getting progressively louder as they went. As they reached the wide, open entrance to the building, Selene put a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream of her own. The bright, warm blood of humans spattered the floor of the main plaza and dripped from catwalks above.

They could make out a stocky figure standing above a mass of reploids. The figure looked like a walking bomb shelter, with thick, wide shoulder plating, a rounded chest plate and an anvil-shaped helmet with a full face guard. The thing about this reploid that stood out was that its arms appeared to be two large autocannons. The mass of civilian reploids surrounding him were apparently in some kind of trance. Both of the Maverick Hunters knew what was going on. The combat reploid had instigated a Maverick Virus outbreak.

Axl pulled Selene through a side door in the mall and they came out near the entrance, behind a wall. Axl pressed his back against the wall and drew something out of his pocket. Selene gasped. "You brought a gun on your day off?" She whispered frantically.

"Zero taught me to never be too careful," he replied, checking the clip in the base of the pistol.

"Careful, yes, but this is just paranoia!"

"You can't say it didn't pay off though, right?"

Selene sighed in resignation. "This time. You don't have any armor, though, so be _careful._" She gripped his shoulder, rumpling the white cloth of his plain t-shirt. He nodded, saying nothing. He looked out from behind the wall. The infected reploids stood completely motionless, massed together encircling something in front of the combat reploid with the cannon arms. Looking closely, he thought he saw moving forms inside the circle of Mavericks.

"It looks like they have human hostages," he whispered.

"We need to free them first," Selene said.

"'We'? What's this 'we' stuff? I'm not gonna let you out there without a weapon."

"I can't just sit here! I'm a Maverick Hunter too."

"And what are you gonna do without a weapon?" Axl asked.

"Don't worry about me. I have my own ways of helping out." Selene shifted her weight against the wall. Axl peeked around the corner and looked again at the Maverick leader. He went through every plan in his head, but none of them ended up with him and Selene alive at the end. Before he could make up his mind and get them both killed, Fate handed him a freebie.

* * *

Zero materialized on the Sky Lagoon, standing amidst an empty walkway. He assumed he was near the mall, but he was too far from Maverick Hunter HQ to ask for confirmation. The accuracy of the Instant Transit system had taken a drastic hit from the recent communications blackout, so he counted himself lucky that he actually landed on the Sky Lagoon rather than in the middle of the highway network below. Not a moment after he started assessing his surroundings, he received a shortwave transmission from Megaman X.

"_We're on the roof now. Are you near the entrance?" _the soft voice inquired. Zero cast a glance at a map nearby.

"Yeah, I'm close. You and Endy start your infiltration now, 'cause it won't take long for me to get the party going."

"_Draw those Mavericks away from the hostages! That's our first priority."_

"Affirmative, Commander Obvious," Zero said with a smile. He heard a groan on the other end. Switching off his comm. link, he turned on his thrusters and dashed off down the walkway. In a matter of seconds, he could see the mall, and through its open entrance he could see a crowd of Mavericks. More importantly, he could see their leader standing above them, between the mall's fountain and his audience. Calculating his speed, he was sure the Maverick couldn't evade him.

The Maverick's eyes widened a bit when he saw a red streak moving down the walkway in front of him. That streak became more defined as it moved closer, which it did with astonishing speed. The crowd of Mavericks began to turn around as the crimson Maverick Hunter jumped on top of one and pushed off of its shoulders, flying at Hail Magnum with his saber flashing out. As Zero struck downward, the Maverick stepped aside and he sailed past harmlessly. What was worse, he kept moving and careened into the fountain, skipping once across the surface before his momentum died out.

"Do you want to entertain us some more, Maverick Hunter, or shall we put you out of your misery?" the leader asked as Zero stuck his head out of the water, weighed down heavily by his soaked hair. He turned around and the leader could see a supernova of fury in Zero's eyes, and for the first time in his relatively short life, Hail Magnum was beginning to feel fear. There was something in his eyes, something living behind his eyes, as he stood up and shook off the water cascading down his armor. This Maverick Hunter was home to a caged demon.

"You obviously don't know the meaning of the word," Zero growled. "I'll teach you misery."

Without another word, Zero flung himself at Magnum, grabbing him by the helmet and slamming him into the ground. He didn't realize that he was now prone to the Maverick's cannon arm. A large slug grazed his hip as he rolled to the side and drew his beam saber. He snapped his arm forward, rending the air with his swift sword stroke as Magnum hopped backwards. The blow sheared off a slice of Magnum's armor, but the blade didn't do any harm. He leapt forward again, but a concussive force took him in the gut and he was thrown back, tumbling to the floor and dropping his saber. Zero looked down at his own chest to see a smoldering crack in his armor.

Standing up slowly, Zero felt detached, like he was watching himself fight. For one thing, he didn't feel any pain from the bullet wound, and for another, his body seemed to be moving almost independent of his own thoughts. Now, he watched himself charge before Magnum could fire again. He watched himself grab one of the Maverick's arm cannons and swing him toward a pillar, where he smashed into it and crumpled to the floor. The possessed Maverick Hunter walked slowly over to where the Maverick lay, his sword drawn.

Hail Magnum seemed to have been deactivated by the blow. Zero raised his sword to finish the job, but out from behind the body a thin, wiry arm shot out and grabbed him, holding him up in the air. The Maverick stood and raised his cannons, intent on blowing Zero apart in the air. Instead, the Hunter slashed the grabbing arm in half and he fell on top of the Maverick, elbow first. The well-armored reploid slid out from underneath his captor and turned to the exit.

He ran. He _ran!_ Zero was so infuriated by the Maverick leader's cowardice that he completely forgot about the hostages and gave pursuit. He chased Magnum along the edge of the floating walkway for a moment, but he was far faster than the clunky Maverick. As he was about to catch him, Magnum jumped over the edge. Without a thought, Zero jumped after him, and the ground below him fell away. They were directly above Highway #3, and the dark gray expanse was just starting to fill with traffic.

He spotted Hail Magnum falling toward the highway. The Maverick landed on the hood of a car in motion, crushing the hydrogen engine and popping the rest of the car into the air from the impact. He looked up icily at the diving Hunter and began firing thick slugs at him, though most of the shots went wide. The lowering sun was making it difficult for Magnum to see his hunter. Cars skidded to a halt and began beeping loud horns. _Unbelievably stupid. But then again, theses _are _humans, _Magnum thought.

Zero crashed to the ground a few short feet away from Hail Magnum, fairly covered in bullet holes on his chest and shoulders. Blood seeped from several of them. Wearily, the crimson Hunter ran at the Maverick, who was reloading. He slashed horizontally, and Magnum jumped back. Unfortunately for him, he had jumped back into the divider. Zero followed up his previous slash and cut downward, shearing metal off of the Maverick's leg armor.

Hail Magnum rolled to the right, but Zero's saber found its way to his left arm joint. The appendage crashed heavily onto the neocrete highway and the Maverick howled in pain. He kicked Zero in the shin, and the Hunter stumbled before his next strike. Another one of Magnum's grabber arms shot out of his backpack and snatched Zero's saber handle. The arm returned to his backpack, carrying the deactivated beam saber with it.

The Maverick Hunter didn't bother to take his attention off the Maverick before him. He simply watched as Hail Magnum walked back slowly, his remaining cannon arm pointed at the Hunter. "You're Zero," Magnum said. "You must be..."

"That's right," Zero said icily. "Surprised it took you this long to figure that out."

"I just wanted to make sure. I can hardly imagine what kind of upgrade my superiors will give me once I bring them your corpse."

"Pretty optimistic for a one-armed freak," Zero taunted.

"See this armor? See this magnificent weapon?" Magnum asked, thumping his cannon arm against his bunker-quality chestplate. "I earned it by carrying out ten successful raids against the humans. I was responsible for the Tanaka Square bombing."

"You?" he scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Hard to believe, isn't it? And to think, I'm a Model 4, lowest of the low. I was born on an assembly line." Hail Magnum fired, and Zero dropped to one knee as the bullet flew over his head. "This is my body. There are many like it, but this one is mine." Magnum continued to fire as he chanted, and Zero dove across the center divider for cover. The bulky Maverick blasted fist-sized chunks from the divider, but a gray sedan suddenly roared out of the traffic jam and crashed into him. The weight of his armor kept him on his feet, but his cannon arm was trapped under the hood of the car. A grimly-determined man in a business suit sat at the wheel, digging his expensive shoes into the accelerator and slowly pushing Magnum backward.

"This is my body..." Hail Magnum repeated, less coherently than before. The glow in his eyes intensified, and he began to lift the sedan with his arm as leverage. "There are many like it, but this one is mine!"

He bellowed inarticulately and flipped the car onto its side. Proximity alerts went off in his head, and he whipped around with his cannon outstretched. However, it stopped in mid-arc as Zero's hands clamped down on the barrel.

"No. It's mine, now," he growled, bringing the cannon arm down on his knee and shattering it in the middle. Hail Magnum flailed the cracked and broken bits of his arm at the Maverick Hunter, but Zero merely grabbed him by the shoulder and thrust him against the pavement.

"You have something else that belongs to me, too." Zero ripped open the Maverick's backpack, and dug through the contents until he found what he was looking for. Without removing the Z Saber, he activated it, and a beam of green energy lanced through Hail Magnum's torso, up his spine, and out the top of his flat helmet. The wriggling Maverick went still, and Zero pulled the weapon out casually.

As he felt the possessing rage subside, he noticed the overturned sedan behind the retired Maverick. Striding evenly, still oblivious to the craters Hail Magnum had left in his armor, he gripped the side of the car and turned it upright again. The human businessman had a bloody gash on his head, and the adrenaline rush that had been keeping his terror at bay was fading fast, but he was still in one piece. Good enough for Zero. He tapped his comm link and set it to X's frequency. "X, I'm pulling out," he said. "The highway is clear." On the other end, all he could hear was the sounds of battle. He knew X and Endymion could handle the hostages by themselves.

* * *

Axl was still trying to come up with a plan that wouldn't get both him and Selene brutally killed when Zero appeared, flying at the Maverick leader and drawing the mob's attention. Axl knew this was the best chance he would get. He jumped out from behind the wall and, momentarily distracted by the sight of his mentor in one of his blood rages, fired a bullet through the nearest reploid's head. All Mavericks turned to him, ignoring the fight embroiled behind them. Axl at first was relieved, because then Zero could concentrate on the leader, but then he realized that the Mavericks were intent on tearing him apart. Though they had no weapons, he had no armor, and their sheer numbers could easily overwhelm him.

He ran along the wall, firing at the crowd of Mavericks as they swarmed after him. He didn't have to aim; they were crowded so close together that any bullet would have hit something. Axl immediately noticed that he was near the escalator, so he took a chance. Suppressing the stampede of mad reploids, he ran out from under the alcove, weaving around a column, and jumped onto the escalator. He felt hands grabbing him, nearly pulling him down, but he was rising and soon they couldn't get high enough to reach him. At the top of the escalator, he positioned himself at the railing of the walkway and began shooting at the Mavericks as they ran up the escalator one by one.

Even if they made it onto the catwalk, it was only wide enough for a few people. Axl considered himself safe. Then he was suddenly being tackled from behind, and he and his assailant smashed through the railing and fell to the ground below. He rolled over and blasted the Maverick at point blank range. Getting to his feet, he realized he was doomed. Nothing stood between him and the horde of rapidly-approaching Mavericks. Just then, a flying trash can smashed into the crowd from the right, and every head, including Axl's, whipped toward the source.

Marx stood atop the walkway along the far wall, hefting a potted fern and preparing to toss it at the Mavericks below.

"_You_!" Axl seethed, even as he hurled the fern and knocked one of the Mavericks unconscious.

"You forgot to say 'thank!'" Marx yelled, waving his arms and causing the Maverick mob to surge toward him instead. "It's _thank _you!"

"In your dreams!" Axl replied, firing at the retreating crowd. Half of the mob continued scrambling up the down escalator, and the other half broke off to charge at Axl again. This time, they were stopped by a ripple in the air that slashed through their group and left a trail of dead reploids behind. Whirling around in confusion, they soon spotted a cloaked form covered in dark reploid blood crouching to their right. From the silhouette, Axl could tell it was Endymion. His cloaking field flickered off for an instant, revealing aerodynamic silver armor and two wide blades extending from his gauntlets. He disappeared again, and this time the blood on his armor was swallowed up by the stealth field as well.

Marx hoped he had bought enough time for Axl to escape, but he didn't have time to check. Nearly a dozen Mavericks were scrambling up the escalator at him, and he resisted the urge to take out his pistol. That was a last resort. Instead, he grabbed a nearby bench and shoved it down the escalator. The direction of the escalator lent the heavy object speed, and it swept away all but two of the Mavericks.

Marx readied his fists, hopping back and forth like he had learned to do in the underground reploid boxing circuit. As much as he hated killing, he had no problem with inflicting crippling amounts of pain, and he had been forced to prove himself in the ring to avoid being laughed out of his merc band on several occasions. It was one such occasion, when he beat the odds and lost his erstwhile comrades large sums of credits, that led to his abandonment in the wasteland near Vulcan Stinger's hideout.

He ducked under the first Maverick's wild right hook, firing off two quick punches that doubled the reploid over. With the second Maverick approaching fast, Marx sent a straight into his first opponent's head, and the blow flung him over the railing and onto the floor of the mall beneath them.

The other Maverick tackled him before he could react, and they both rolled across the walkway, with the Maverick ending up on top. She grabbed him by the helmet and began smashing his head against the floor, but he tucked his knees under her chest and pushed, sending her tumbling over him. He got up, preparing to knock her out while she was still down, but the Maverick recovered faster than he expected, and she backed up against the railing on the far side of the walkway.

Then, surprisingly, the Maverick grabbed the guard rail and swung herself off the edge. Marx ran to the edge of the catwalk, and he could see the Maverick sprinting back toward the entrance of the mall. No, not quite the entrance. She was making a beeline for a dark corner filled with huddling shapes. _The hostages! _Marx realized. _Shit. _He knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to the Maverick, and he was out of mall decorations to throw.

_Sometimes it's unavoidable, _he thought, whipping his pistol out of its holster. _I didn't really believe you, X. Shows how much I know. _A targeting visor slid down over his right eye, and he lined up a shot that would put an armor-piercing bullet straight through the Maverick's head. He tried not to think about that, and focused instead on the fact that he would be saving dozens of human lives by ending this reploid one.

Marx fired, and the Maverick jerked forward, collapsing like a stringless puppet. Pieces of her CPU and globs of coolant rained from the back of her head, scattering grim confetti along the floor as she slid to a halt. Marx shoved his pistol back into its holster, sickened by the sight and the knowledge that he was the one who caused it.

He only hesitated for a second, but in that time, a set of bloodstained hands managed to close around his neck, pulling him back and attempting to rip his head off. Marx twisted and jerked, but the Maverick only tightened his grip. Desperately, he turned his pistol around and pressed it against the body squirming behind him.

Suddenly, a thunderclap issued over Marx's shoulder, and the Maverick was thrown off his feet. The mercenary stumbled forward, then spun to check on the Maverick. An energy burn had punched a hole clean through his torso.

"One is enough for today," Megaman X told him, walking up from the direction of the noise.

"I would've shot him, too," Marx said, and the horror of his words took several moments to sink in. "Well, you've done it, Maverick Hunter. You've turned me into a killer."

"You were already a killer, Marx," X replied, and Marx's eyes widened. "Don't act so surprised. I've lived almost my entire life around killers. I know how to spot them."

Marx sighed. "My first time...it wasn't easy. That Maverick girl wasn't easy, either. Him?" At this, Marx tossed his head at the smoldering Maverick lying down the walkway. "He would have been easy."

"I don't doubt it," X murmured sadly. "Come on. We've finished with the pension plans. It's time to take care of the hostages." While X led Marx down the stairs, Axl surveyed the mall for any stragglers. He only had to look as far as Endymion, who stood amidst a pile of retired Mavericks, looking like windswept quicksilver and wiping down his blades with a t-shirt ripped from one of the dead reploids. If Endymion was cleaning the gore off his weapons, it meant all the nearby Mavericks were dead. He decided to check on the hostages, and he found they had been moved to a secluded corner, which was a relief until he saw that one of the Mavericks was standing in front of them, staring right at him.

Axl dashed to them, raising his handgun and yelling for the hostages to get down. "Axl, no!" the Maverick screamed, and he recognized the sweet feminine voice. His hand twitched and the bullet grazed the unarmored reploid's shoulder. He stopped, and the Maverick shimmered and became Selene again. She was breathing heavily and trembling as she collapsed to the floor. He ran to her and knelt down.

"Selene, I'm so sorry!" he gushed. "I didn't know...I didn't..."

"Axl, don't worry," she replied shakily. "You just startled me. There was no way for you to know."

"I didn't think you could transform without your armor," he explained.

"My disguise generator is built-in," she replied. "Just one of the many fine features Dr. Kikuta squeezed into this little body."

"Well, still, I'm really sorry."

"What? Sorry that everyone at this mall was massacred, sorry that your day off was ruined, or sorry that you nearly shot me?"

"All of those, especially that last one."

"Oh come on, Axl." She gave him a playful shove. "You can see I'm fine. What about all of this, though?" She swept her hand to indicate the carnage in the large, open mall. Then, she turned around to look at the human survivors. "Almost all of these people have lost loved ones today..."

"We're doing the best we can," Axl said defensively. Selene sighed.

"Our best isn't enough for me," She replied. Axl was momentarily distracted by the sight of Marx walking toward the exit, staring in dread fascination at the pools of bright, warm human blood mixing with the dark, viscous spatters of reploid blood-fuel. Saving his life hadn't softened Axl's murderous feelings toward the mercenary, but somehow, the expression of shame and regret on Marx's face -or perhaps just the vulnerability this expression represented – helped to ease his rage.

"You did really well, considering," X said to Marx.

"Considering what?"

"Considering you made the tough choice when it was presented to you, even though it went against every part of your nature."

"I take it you know what that's like," said Marx.

"There was a time...before all this madness," X began, and his eyes trailed off to stare at an unblemished point on the wall. "When I wasn't a Maverick Hunter. I was a researcher. I was Dr. Cain's assistant. I helped him create new reploids. Even after the first outbreaks, I just looked after the equipment for the real Hunters while they tried to fight off the inevitable."

"I know," Marx told him. "I've read up on your history. I figure it's something all reploids should do."

"History doesn't describe the hopelessness I felt when the virus came for us. I idolized Sigma, I even helped put him together, and then he turned on the Hunters, taking every one of my friends but two."

"Mr. Ponytail, and who else?"

"Drake. You wouldn't know him," X muttered. "He was never a very good Hunter. I couldn't just sit back and let the two of them chase down Unit 0 by themselves. I had to make the tough choice."

"And, for your efforts, you were nearly crushed to death by a Maverick in a Ride Armor," the mercenary pointed out.

"Sometimes it's unavoidable," X said, giving Marx an unexpected smile. "We've got a lot in common, Marx."

"What, almost getting killed on our first mission?"

"I'd like to think you've gotten more out of this conversation than that," he said, and with that, X headed for the exit. "Thanks for not trying to escape!" he called back, and Marx shrugged.

"Like I'd get very far."

**Mission 2 status: Complete**

**Maverick Leader: Retired**

**Main Objective: Achieved**

**Secondary Objective: Achieved**

**End of Chapter 5**


	7. Chapter 6: Radio Silence

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 6: Radio Silence

By Genoscythe

In two days, Megaman X had seen just as many Maverick leaders destroyed, stopped a riot, recruited a new Hunter, and sent a painstakingly-detailed report on the concussion grenade program to Douglas. He still had not spoken to Alia. X walked wearily into the command room of MHHQ, expecting to see her bent over a console or lying on her back under one, digging through its components. Since the unusual communications problems, there was little for a navigator to do, but Alia still tried furiously to locate the source of the problem. However, the room was dark, and even Alia had apparently given up for the moment. He was about to leave when he received a local call on his comm link.

"_Hey X, can you come down to Hangar M for me?" _the feminine voice on the other end asked. X recognized it as Alia's immediately.

"Sure," he replied, turning around and walking back to the elevator. In moments, he was emerging under the shadow of a large hover transport, and Maverick Hunter HQ's underground hangar spread out before him. Maverick activity after the riot at the Sky Lagoon had dropped off, and the HQ was mostly locked up for the night, leaving the cavernous hangar bathed in dim backup lights. He walked through the relatively uncluttered central pathway, passing sector after sector until he arrived at the area designated M, ostensibly used for developing advanced armor modifications. Usually, the only thing that they ever developed in sector M was X's armor.

As he walked into an enclosed lab with the lights turned on, he saw Alia leaning over a table and punching numbers into a datapad laid out next to her. X couldn't see what was on the table, but his mind briefly wandered over Alia's figure, displayed so prominently by her position and her new, lighter suit of armor. It occurred to him, as he studied her out-thrust hips and gently swaying waist, that she was merely posing to get his attention, since he was fairly certain her more flattering armor came about for the same reason.

It was working, and he despised himself for it, because he knew it was only working because he was imagining another woman superimposed over her, a reploid with long, streaked brown hair. He wanted to see her cherubic face again, but he was sure that the illusion would break once Alia noticed him. When the reploid girl abruptly turned her head and locked X's green eyes with hers, he was disappointed to find that he was right.

"Hey," Alia said. "Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, not at all," he replied. _Yes, you interrupted me pretending you were my dead girlfriend. _"You wanted to talk?"

"Yes, if you've got some free time," she said, but X could barely hear her over the crashing wave of self-loathing that swept over him. It wasn't fair to Alia that he couldn't get over Calliope, but she was suffering for it nonetheless.

"X? Did you hear me?" she asked patiently.

"Yeah. I've got some free time," he said, latching desperately onto the last thing he could remember her saying.

"No. I told you I had something to give you," she said, and X could see some of the life drain from her face.

"Sorry...my mind was wandering."

"You've always got a lot to think about. Anyway, would you like to see it?" She slid over as he approached the table, giving him a clear view of the sleek, navy blue armor lying on the metal surface. It was similar to his current armor, but the gauntlets and greaves had been slimmed down, extra energen crystals were fitted on the elbows and knees, and the whole armor was trimmed with white.

"Is that my armor?"

"Essentially. We started with an exact replica, but we altered it as needed. As you can tell, we've reduced the bulkiness in certain areas, mostly the legs. This will improve your speed and maneuverability. We also managed to muffle the sound of buster fire without decreasing attack power. The boots are fitted with silencing soles, and we've even thrown in a basic utility belt."

"I'm seeing a pattern here."

"It's basically the same armor," Alia said. "Just stealthier."

"Have you tested it yet?" X asked.

"I was hoping you would oblige me, Commander," she replied, beckoning for him to touch the suit. He pressed his palm against the chest plate, and the pressure sensor scanned his personal data. The armor then disappeared in a flash of white light that spread across X's body. When the light faded, he was wearing the new suit, and his original had been teleported to storage. He flexed his arms, then his legs, testing the movement. "This armor barely hinders my movement at all," he mused. "Only about..." He let his processor do the math. "2% difference."

"Great!" Alia exclaimed, discreetly leaning in closer. "I requisitioned more energen crystals to boost your power output, so the suit isn't that much lighter, it just makes you stronger." He took a step, and though he strained to listen, he couldn't hear anything.

"Isn't that expensive?" X asked, performing an exploratory kick to test out the thinner greaves.

"I had to fight the quartermaster for every one of them. He almost cried when I told him what I needed, but it was the only way I could get the results I wanted, so..." Alia trailed off, staring at the floor while X continued his inspection. Suddenly, she took his hand and pulled him over to a target board against the wall of the little lab.

"Try the buster," she said quickly, almost worriedly. X leveled his left hand and his fist retracted into his arm, a dark gray barrel blossoming out to replace it. He fired a normal bullet, and the ball smashed a fist-sized hole in the board. Neither reploid heard the shot fire. "Not bad at all," Alia breathed.

"Shouldn't we be doing the first test with more techs? I don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes, here."

"It's okay, I'm recording all of this. Besides, I put most of the suit together myself, so I'm the only one who needs to see the results anyway."

He nodded slowly, charging his next test shot. Besides a low hum emanating from his buster as the weapon charged and a slight crackle of energy as the large blue streak shot from his buster, it was rather noiseless. Only after the target board was vaporized did X fully understand what Alia had said, and her increasing unease began to make sense.

"You did this all yourself?" he asked.

"Most of it. Satoru gave me some help with the chest plate since I couldn't get the weight-to-armor ratios right, but other than that..." she trailed off again, shrugging nervously.

"I had no idea you knew so much about armor development," he said, fully aware that, as far as compliments went, it was a pretty pathetic attempt.

"Well, I was Gate's partner before I joined the Maverick Hunters," she explained, curling a lock of her shoulder-length hair around a fidgety finger. "We designed whole reploids before...before things went wrong."

"I remember," X affirmed. _How could I have forgotten that? _"Are you still trying to bring him back?"

He wandered out of the lab and back to the main hangar bay, where he could see Alia's private workstation against the far wall. Inside, a capsule containing the remains of Alia's former colleague and lover rested by the window. He always thought the arrangement sounded like torture for Alia, having the dead eyes of her partner staring at her while she worked. Perhaps that was what it was meant to be – punishment for abandoning him and helping her superiors destroy the reploids they had created together.

"You've never asked about him before," Alia pointed out, emerging behind him. "Not since you retired him."

"I should have."

Alia closed her eyes and hugged herself bitterly. "He's long gone. I might be able to reconstruct some of his basic personality traits, but he was badly damaged when you brought him to me. And, to be honest, I'm afraid of who I might wake up if I _do_ somehow repair him."

"I know you were more than just colleagues, Alia," X said. "Isn't it worth the risk, for someone you love? If I had the chance to bring back someone I loved, I would take it."

"Is that a hypothetical scenario, or is there really someone..." she stopped when she saw the answer on X's face. "Nevermind. I had feelings for Gate, but that doesn't make up for what he did. Even if some of that was my fault." She closed her eyes again, but not before a pair of tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks.

X couldn't stand it anymore. He was putting the poor navigator through hell just because he was afraid that she might replace his bittersweet visions of Calliope, and he could only break her heart in so many ways before the weight on his conscience would crush him. He took her by the shoulders and pulled her into a chaste hug. She merely hung there in his arms, stunned, until her processor had time to catch up and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Forget I mentioned it," X said, chin bouncing against the top of her head. "This armor's fantastic. Better than anything Douglas has ever thrown together for me. Don't tell him I said that."

Alia laughed through her tears, and X gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Speaking of the armor, there's one more thing I wanted to show you. If you thought it was fantastic before..."

Her hands snaked up his back, ending up at his collar. She flipped a switch, ducked out of the hug, and vanished into the armor lab. Nothing seemed to have happened.

Then, Alia reemerged with a mirror, and it all became clear. Behind him, what appeared to be a red scarf hung from the back of his armor. X felt behind him, but his hands passed through the fabric. Alia put down the mirror.

"It's a hologram. Wearing a real bright red scarf would defeat the purpose of this armor, don't you think?"

"You added a holographic scarf to my armor?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," she said, smiling through the remnants of her earlier depression. "Satoru thought it was a bad idea, but I decided to leave it in."

"What's it for?"

"It's just for looks. I thought you might want a little flair," she explained.

"Oh," X said, wondering if he really seemed like a 'flair' person. He usually left that kind of thing up to Zero. "Thanks."

"Of course," Alia replied, clasping her hands together. "Well, now that you've seen the armor, can we talk?"

"Sure."

"What exactly happened last night?" she asked. He then proceeded to go into detail about the attack on the Maverick group and the subsequent destruction of his escape vehicle. X had learned long ago not to leave out any details or alter the story to make it better to hear; Alia knew exactly when he was lying. During his story, X hadn't even realized he was still wearing the armor because of how comfortable it was. It also gave him a visual aide when describing his fight with the survivors of the attack.

It was when X was waving his buster at invisible foes, Alia sitting rapt in a chair across from him, when one of the monitors in the lab flickered to life. X halted the charade as Alia pressed a button on a console, and a pudgy face stuffed into a green helmet popped up on the screen.

"_Alia, I'm trying a different approach with this communication problem of ours. Would you be a dear and come up to the relay tower for me? I need your assistance," _Douglas said. Before Alia could reply, the transmission cut out. She sighed and turned back to X.

"Sorry. It looks like I still have more work to do."

"I'll come with you," X offered. Her face brightened considerably at this.

"That gives me an idea," she said. "I totally forgot about the last new feature for your armor..."

"What's that?" he inquired. Instead of responding, Alia took him by the hand and led him out of the small lab, out into the cavernous hangar again. She took him to the nearest wall and pressed his palm against the surface.

"Wall climbing program, activate," Alia ordered. Nothing happened. X tried to move his hand, but it stuck fast to the wall.

"What the..." X muttered, pulling his arm. He found that with a little extra exertion, he could pull his hand away.

"Try climbing the wall," she suggested. X proceeded to put one hand above the other, pulling himself up the wall. After awhile, he was used to the strange sucking feeling when he placed his hand on the wall, and he was able to make it up to the ceiling of the hangar, where he swung himself out several feet before stopping. Alia clapped approvingly below, and he disengaged the program with his mind. When he hit the ground, the floor didn't buckle like it usually did.

"Those extra energen crystals are powering impact dampeners," Alia mentioned. "It should make hard falls even easier for you."

"Why hasn't anyone mentioned this before?" he asked her. To this, she lowered her head.

"It was my idea. I wanted to surprise you," she said softly.

"Surprise me?"

"Yeah. I worked on this armor for almost a year, and...well, I spent some of my pay on it too."

"You did what?"

"Most of my pay, actually. On top of the budget Signas gave me. And I had to sell some of my other projects toward the end. I guess there's a reason people don't build suits with four high-powered energen crystals in them," she said, laughing nervously.

"Alia, I don't know what to say," X murmured, staring down at his armor with new appreciation.

"It's a gift, don't worry about the cost. I didn't. It's the only thing I can do to keep you safe, especially with this comms nightmare going on, and it's worth it."

"You know, I've got plenty of money saved up. I can pay you back if you tell me how much came out of your own pocket," X offered.

"If you want to pay me back, just put it to good use and come back to me – _us –_ in one piece."

X smiled, flexing his buster arm. "It's the least I can do. Hey, aren't we supposed to be seeing Douglas right now?"

"That's what reminded me of the wall climbing program. You see, I was wondering if we could take the test a little further..."

* * *

The Instant Transit beam deposited Marx directly back into his cell, where he found a clipboard lying by the door. As shaken as he was from the mall riot, his curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up. A simple note posted on top of a stack of printouts described the clipboard's contents.

**Congratulations, you're not a Maverick, you're just an asshole. Give these data readings to Zero, and he might let you go, or at least move you out of this cell.**

The note was unsigned, but Marx knew it had to be from Nephtis. The printouts showed his test results, and in any case, the attitude was unmistakable. He pushed open the door, hoping to clear his name before diving back into Nephtis's Egyptian mythology collection, but the door was stopped halfway by a hand encased in a black gauntlet. Axl squeezed through the opening and shut the door behind him.

"Zero's on the warpath," he told Marx, leaning against the door. The reploid mercenary gave him a half-smile.

"Because X talked me into helping you guys out after he failed?"

"Something like that," Axl replied, matching the mercenary's smile. Marx was taken aback by the change in Axl's demeanor. "I'd stay in here for awhile, if I were you."

"Looks like you're in a pretty good mood," he commented.

"Yeah, well, I thought about everything that's happened with us, and I decided the grudge isn't worth it, especially if you're gonna keep saving my life."

"Is this your way of getting to that ever-elusive thank you?" Marx asked. Suddenly, a heavy impact shook the walls, and the handle on Marx's door began to rattle.

"Come out here, you sneaky, two-faced son of a bitch!" Zero roared from the other side.

"No, warning you and locking the door is my way of thanking you," Axl answered.

"_Axl_? Are you in there?" he yelled, now more confused than angry. "Haul that merc's scrawny ass out here. I might let you shoot him after all."

Axl raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did you do to him?" he whispered.

"Not much. Certainly not enough to deserve getting shot by a punk Hunter like you," Marx said, his half-smile evolving into a full grin.

"Don't push it," Axl chided. "I would've gladly handed you over if he'd asked this morning."

"And I appreciate the change of heart, really. Now, I've got some reading to catch up on, so if you think you can talk him down, could you give that a shot?" the mercenary asked, walking over to his bed and flopping down next to the mythology book.

"Okay, but after this, we're even," Axl said.

"Hey, I saved your life, kid," Marx pointed out.

"Exactly. Watch me save yours." Axl approached the door cautiously, turned the lock as slowly and non-threateningly as he could, and as soon as the handle was unlocked, the door flew open and he was yanked out into the hall.

"I'll teach you to screw around with – " Zero cut his outburst short when he noticed who he was holding up by the neck. "Axl. What's going on here?"

"Let me down, Zero!" Axl choked out.

"I give him a chance, and he turns me down. I deal with the head Mav, I get back to base, and I find his cell empty. Only after I put the whole place on lockdown does a navigator think to tell me X let him loose on the Sky Lagoon. What the hell did I miss?"

"I dunno, Zero. Seriously, put me down."

"He put the whole mission in jeopardy just 'cause he wanted to prove his way works," Zero huffed. "And that damn merc..."

He tossed Axl out of the way and rushed back to the door, raising a fist to pound on it again. However, the door opened first, and Marx stuck his head out.

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Red. I've got some reading to do, and it's really hard to concentrate over all your bitching, so if you don't move the tantrum somewhere else, I'm gonna move it for you." With that said, Marx dropped a clipboard stacked with papers through the opening and then slammed the door shut. The lock clicked, and Zero dropped his fist without a word.

"Damn..." Axl muttered breathlessly. Inside the room, Marx exhaled sharply and unclasped his helmet; keeping the insensible terror out of his voice for two whole sentences while staring down an enraged Zero was almost too much for his processor to handle. It worked, though, and Marx was able to read in peace for another hour, before his adrenal-energy spike wore off and he was calm enough to spread out in his capsule and shut down for the night.

**End of Chapter 6**


	8. Chapter 7: An Unknown Source

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 7: An Unknown Source

By Genoscythe

When Alia had said she wanted to take the test further, X hadn't been expecting it would go this far. He was currently latched onto the side of MHHQ, crawling up the crystal blue building like a spider. _"Hey X, are you still doing okay out there?" _Alia asked him on his comm link. The holographic scarf on his back whipped about in the chill night air, simulating a real one down to the movements.

"I'm fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. The strong winds weren't making the trek any easier for X, and the wall climbing program required more dexterity than he expected. With his old armor, he had been able to repeatedly kick off of vertical surfaces and scale them with some help from his boosters, but the new program gave him greater control over his movements. It was slower, but it would be far more useful in combat and navigating difficult terrain. Looking down, he could see that he was more than halfway up to the communications tower. "Where are you now?" he asked through his comm link.

_"Just made it to the 17th's quarters," _was the reply. X made a deal with Alia that if he was going to scale the outside of the HQ, then she would have to take the stairs. She had reluctantly conceded. _17th, huh? I'm way ahead, _X thought. Another part of the deal was that whoever made it there last would have to tell the winner a personal secret. X had initially suggested that the loser had to pay the MHHQ bar tab for the entire 17th division, but she wanted to raise the stakes a little. It seemed to him like she wanted him to win, though. He had a bad feeling about what she apparently wanted to tell him, but there was nothing he could do to change her mind. He was through playing mind games with her.

As X acclimated to the new wall climbing method, he picked up speed, and in no time at all he found himself climbing diagonally, heading straight for the HQ's rooftop. He pulled himself up the cylindrical relay tower and over the railing onto the observation deck. When he sat down to catch a breath, he saw Douglas leaning against the railing, looking with his perpetually curious stare at X and his new armor.

"Hello, Commander X! What are you doing here?"

"I was – "

"That is a fascinating armor! I've never seen it before. What's it like?"

"Well, I – "

"Are those energen crystals? Why so many? This must have been an expensive project."

"So I hear. Look, I was just – "

"Why wasn't I notified?" Douglas snapped, now pacing about the observation deck in an excited fervor. "I could have cut the expense considerably. Four extra crystals are unnecessary. This looks like Alia's work. She never applies practical solutions to her problems, and in any case, Dr. Light wouldn't have left something this wasteful behind."

"It works, doesn't it?" X shot back, feeling defensive of Alia's elaborate gift.

"Hah! A human child can build something that works. I'm only impressed by technical finesse and ingenuity. This is brutish," Douglas concluded, inching toward the Maverick Hunter. "I'd like to do a closer inspection."

"After all that, you want a closer inspection?" X asked. Without replying, Douglas reached out and grabbed X's buster arm, which he had forgotten to protect. "Hey, I didn't say you could do one," he pointed out.

"I just want to make sure Alia's got your circuits connected properly, at least," he grumbled, swatting away X's free hand and fumbling with a panel on his gauntlet.

"We already tested it, but thanks anyway," X said, jerking his arm out of Douglas's reach. The mechanic grumbled inaudibly and turned around to pace back and forth next to the panel he had been working on when X arrived. The uncomfortable silence that ensued was cut mercifully short by Alia, whose rippling golden locks and luminous blue eyes peeked once over the lip of the observation deck's access ladder before she swung her whole body up over the edge. _She's probably checking to make sure I got here first, _X noted.

"Oh. Looks like you've won, X," she said, with a faintly victorious smile. X shrugged and folded his arms over his new chestplate.

"Alia! What took you so long? Without Commander X here to entertain me, I would have gone back inside by now!" the pudgy reploid fussed, even though they both knew that Douglas would probably spend the rest of the night in the relay tower, whether Alia showed up or not. She sighed and cast a discreet glance at X before walking up to the mechanic.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"I want you to reach that panel for me," Douglas said, motioning at a square cut into the ceiling of the observation deck. It was too high for him to reach.

"Douglas, did you call me up here just so I could open a panel for you?" she huffed, voice rising with every word. X couldn't recall ever seeing Alia so angry before.

"Well, that's a fine place to start," he replied. "I want to get at the scatter wave transmitter, because I suspect it – "

"No. No, you don't get to legitimize this request by...y-you brought me all the way up here because you _couldn't reach the panel_?"

"I may need your assistance afterward," Douglas pointed out.

"We have a stepladder here somewhere!" she yelled. X had never heard her yell, either. Then again, he knew little about her working relationship with Douglas, so it was possible that neither of these developments were new. "Or a janitor. Somebody. Why me?"

There was definitely some history involved that X had missed out on.

"You could use the experience, my dear. Now, do you want to get to the bottom of this mystery, or not?"

Alia's outburst was halted by her sense of duty, as Douglas knew it would be, but she gave him a long, simmering glare before she reached up and unlatched the panel.

"Would you like a boost?" she seethed.

"Unnecessary. You can do the inspection for me. Tell me if our scatter wave transmitter has been tampered with."

Alia stood on her toes and began digging through the exposed machinery. It was all foreign to X, but it looked undamaged from his perspective. Several moments passed in relative silence, until Alia rocked back on her heels with confusion adding to the emotions screwing up her pert features.

"It's perfectly fine," she reported.

"I was afraid of that. Do you know what that means?"

"Of course I do. It means that we can still use scatter wave communications."

"And can we?"

"No. But nothing can block scatter waves."

"Nothing that we know of."

"But scatter waves utilize quantum mechanics. They're unstoppable."

"As far as we know, they are unstoppable."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Alia, there are innumerable forces, principles of the universe, concepts far beyond anything we have imagined or will ever imagine," Douglas explained. "And unknowable foes capable of using them against us."

"I think we should exhaust all the more rational possibilities before we start drawing up conspiracy theories," Alia muttered.

"We _have _exhausted all the rational possibilities."

"What makes you think the Mavericks aren't responsible?"

"Unlikely. They are degenerating noticeably. I doubt their technicians could even work a scatter wave transmitter, much less defy the laws of physics to jam ours."

"This doesn't bring us much closer to fixing the problem, but at least we can narrow down the possibilities," Alia said.

"Indeed. What I need you to do is use the particle detection system in central command and search for any unidentifiable air waves."

"Hasn't someone already tried that?" she groaned, dreading the prospect of more grunt work.

"Interestingly, no. Before, we were looking for a simple explanation, but now it appears we won't find one. We must broaden our search."

"Okay, I'll get to work on it as soon as I can," she said.

"Go right ahead," Douglas replied, motioning to the exit. "I have some more tests to run." Relieved to be free of the manic reploid, Alia turned and swept across the observation deck toward the ladder. However, she stopped and looked back at X.

"You can walk down this time," she told him. "Besides, you have to collect your reward."

* * *

Marx couldn't help but feel nervous with Zero practically staring him in the face after the incident the night before. It was now morning, and after a full recharge Marx felt ready to take on the world. Then Zero called him in for a meeting and swiftly put an end to his enthusiasm. On the bright side, he wasn't going to face Zero's wrath alone. Megaman X sat next to him in Special Unit 0's private briefing room, with the blonde hunter standing before them next to his podium. The briefing screens were blank, but for some reason, Zero held an elastic pointer which he periodically bent, perhaps as a method of stress relief.

"Okay, let me make things clear," Zero started, glaring at X. "_Without my permission_ you went back to Marx's cell and took him to yesterday's outbreak at the mall. Did you even _think _that he would try to escape, or worse, try to attack one of us? It's not like you to jeopardize a mission like that, X."

"You said it yourself, we needed more firepower," X protested.

"Then you should've taken one of your own Hunters. Someone you _trust_."

"I wanted to give him a chance."

"_I_ gave him a chance! Remember? He turned it down. You didn't think it was a little suspicious that he changed his mind?"

"I can only imagine what kind of 'chance' you gave him. I thought I should try again, only without pulling any knives on him," X said. Marx felt this was going to get out of control.

"Hey, cool down for a second," he said, rising to his feet. "This is gonna get ugly fast, guys."

"Stay out of it!" Zero growled.

"This is about me, isn't it?" Silence ensued. "Why don't we at least hear my point of view before you two start ripping out each others' processors?"

"Fine," the blond hunter conceded.

"Look, you two are getting mad over something that didn't happen. Did I run away? Did I attack any of the good guys? No. Hell, I _saved _Axl's life!" Once again, all was silent. "I don't know what's got your panties in a knot, Zero, but it's not my fault and it's _definitely_ not X's fault."

"So, where does that leave us?" Zero asked. "What exactly are you, now?"

"I think I'd like to be a Maverick Hunter," Marx said, speaking on reflex alone. His words surprised himself more than they surprised Zero. X merely smiled and bowed his head slightly.

"That's a pretty sudden about-face," the crimson Hunter noted.

"Hey, if you don't want to take me, then don't take me," Marx said. "A lot of things happened yesterday...I dunno, it got me wondering. Ever since my creator died, I've been a drifter. It gets tough, living just to survive. I need to keep making up excuses to justify my existence, and defending humanity is the best one I've come across so far."

Zero caught X's satisfied smile, and it all suddenly clicked for him. The nostalgia, the protective impulses, the disappointment, everything.

"He's like an asshole version of you," Zero said to X.

"If you mean he's an idealist, then yes, I had a feeling," X replied.

"No wonder you've been able to talk him into this," he mused. "And it explains why he pisses me off so much."

X burst out laughing, and Marx felt himself fading from the discussion again.

"I'm serious. I want to be a Hunter," he interjected.

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Zero replied.

"Are you fully aware of what you're agreeing to?" X asked. "You'll be forced to either kill or be killed almost every day, and I won't always be there to do the killing for you."

"I know," Marx muttered. "But I told you, it's...getting easier. I can't avoid it one way or the other, so I might as well be killing for a good cause."

"I was hoping you'd see it that way," X said.

"I'll set up a holo room session for you later today," Zero told him. "We've gotta see what you can do before we decide what to do with you."

"Should I be getting a bad feeling about this? 'Cause I am."

X reassured him that he would do fine, but Zero just smirked and tossed his elastic pointer in the corner before exiting the briefing room. Marx still took it as a good sign – at least he didn't have any more stress to work off.

* * *

Damn that Megaman X! Vulcan Stinger had spent the entire day repairing himself with inferior parts, and to make things worse, Diamond Edge had not contacted him since he had sent her to avenge him. The only thing that made his existence bearable was the thought that the Maverick Hunters still didn't know where their base was. He took the welding torch to his leg once again, joining his own stump to an appendage he severed from one of his underlings. The wide green armor clashed with his spindly golden left leg, and he was fairly certain the new limb was a few inches shorter than the original.

The large, rusted metal door of the base's maintenance bay clanked open, and Stinger watched critically as Diamond Edge limped into the room. She almost immediately collapsed to the floor. What little clothing she had worn was in tatters, and her milky white skin was scored with energy burns. Vulcan Stinger merely continued to watch as she attempted to prop herself up on her elbows.

"You failed," he drawled. His disappointment was tempered by his utter lack of surprise.

"I was...preoccupied. Megaman X caught me off guard," she responded hoarsely.

"That sounds suspiciously like what you planned to do to him," Stinger said, standing up. He tilted distinctly to the right. "Damn. I knew it was too short."

"Well, Stinger? Are you going to be the gentleman and offer to repair me, or are you going to make me beg?" Diamond Edge asked, although as she said the word 'beg,' a long crescent of serrated metal emerged from her wrist.

"I can never tell when you're trying to threaten or seduce me," Stinger replied. "But neither will work. Our supplies are low, and what we have is already in use."

"There must be _something_ left from that reploid you cannibalized," she said, pointing to his new leg with her wrist blade.

"I left his body in the barracks. You're welcome to whatever the others haven't already taken."

"Hmph," Diamond Edge grunted, dragging herself over to a crate and propping herself against it. "You're not half bad, Stinger. Not like some of the bugs I know."

"I always thought Tempest was fond of you."

"He is, in his own way. That's part of the problem," she said. "He'll be interested to find out who I saw on the Maverick Hunters' roster, but I'm still deciding whether or not I'm going to tell him. He might want to 'celebrate' with me."

"Someone from your old syndicate?" Stinger guessed.

"It's complicated."

"Well, if this is your way of asking my opinion, I think he'll find out for himself sooner or later, and he knows you were looking up the Hunters' roster. He won't be happy if you keep this information from him, and I'll have to assume an angry Tempest is worse than a celebratory one."

"You have a point," she said with a shudder. "Let's not talk about him anymore."

"Fine, then. I heard Hail Magnum was planning to lure the Maverick Hunters to the Sky Lagoon yesterday. Did you hear any news?"

"Yes. According to today's paper, Magnum was killed and no Hunters were captured or destroyed. He did, however, manage to wipe out dozens of humans."

"Which is our ultimate goal."

"Of course. I wouldn't call this week a complete failure," Edge said icily. Vulcan Stinger turned his back to her.

"We have to prepare for another attack on the Hunters," he stated.

"What about the lack of long-range communications? Has anyone isolated the source yet?"

"No. It definitely isn't coming from the Maverick Hunters, and it seems to be affecting most of the city's more advanced broadcasting equipment. We've verified that shortwave transmissions and simple radios still work, but other than that, all our signals are being deliberately jammed."

"It'll be difficult to organize our branches."

"I know. We'll have to take more risks like that last disastrous meeting."

"It'll be worth it in the end."

"We can only hope so. There is a branch hiding in the mountains near the remains of Dopplertown, and I hear their leader is a powerful reploid."

"Who is it?"

"Thunder Raven. If we can coordinate an attack with his troops, we stand a chance of dealing a serious blow to the Maverick Hunters."

"How will we send word?"

"We need a runner," Vulcan Stinger said. "I suggest Stealth Claw. He's been spending far too much time idling with your protege, and I believe he needs some time away from her to be reminded of our cause."

"Don't make it sound like she's the one to blame," Edge snapped. "He's had an unhealthy fascination with her ever since he pulled her out of that horrible research facility."

"You're training her to be a slut," Stinger accused. "Claw is a sexually-incompatible combat model. I hardly see how there could be room for debate in this matter."

"He's a big fluffy cat. I'm sure she just sees him as a pet," Edge said.

"Either way, she is still an unnecessary distraction for him, and I'm sending him to the raven. Also, you may want to consider beginning her mission soon."

"I can agree with you on that. I've seen for myself how susceptible Zero is to the female form, and if Mystic does her job, he won't last another week."

"Good. The sooner you bring down that maniac, the safer we'll all be."

**End of chapter 7**


	9. Chapter 8: Target Practice and Metools

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 8: Target practice and Metools

By Genoscythe

AN: Dragon Man had a great idea, so thank him for this chapter.

_"Okay Marx, we've completed preparations. Please step into the holo room now," _Axl's voice came from a speaker in the wall. Marx stood up and looked as a door slid open, leading to a blank white-walled room. He stepped inside, and as soon as he did the walls and floor began to change. The white faded to a deep gray, and the floor morphed into the semblance of a neocrete roadway. In no time at all, he had been transported from Maverick Hunter Headquarters into the middle of a city. The ceiling seemed to expand above him and transform into a starless night sky, complete with passing airplanes.

"_This _is all a hologram?" he wondered into his comm link.

_"Everything here is a hologram. Even some of the enemies."_

"Then how do I know if I'm being hurt or not? And for that matter, how do I kill a hologram?"

"_Same way you kill anything else. Our holo tech is pretty advanced, and it can detect any shot you make,"_ was Axl's reply. Marx shrugged and stepped forward, but then the floor began to rearrange itself. Directly in front of him, the street jutted upward above his head.

"So this is an obstacle course too?"

"_It can be, if I keep messing with the controls..."_

"Axl!"

"_Hey, I'm just trying to have a little fun with it," _Axl said.

"I'm starting to think you're not really over the whole 'me shooting you' thing."

"_Well, stop thinking and get to work, rookie."_

"Yes ma'm," Marx sighed. Jumping and grabbing the edge of the pillar before him, he swung himself up and came face to face with what appeared to be a mining hat lying on top of the pillar. He bent down and grabbed it, but when he tried to lift it up he found there was something small and black _under _the hat. His momentary confusion bought the comical little robot time to fire an energy bullet into his chest, which he shook off and subsequently kicked the robot off the edge of the pillar and down into the pit below.

"What kinda joke is this, Axl?" he asked.

"_I thought you might want to start small."_

"Crank it up, then. I don't have all day."

"_I was hoping you'd say that," _Axl sneered. Marx jumped down into the pit where he had kicked the little robot into, where he found the little creature rolling around on its hat, trying to stand up.

"Easy there, little guy. Looks like you need a hand," he taunted it, grabbing the brim of its hat and setting it back on its feet. It gave out a warbling cry and took cover under its yellow hat. Marx chuckled. The mechaniloid was starting to grow on him. Leaving it in the pit, he jumped up and climbed out. No sooner had he done so than a silver-clawed fist collided with his stomach, knocking him back into the pillar.

Before him, as he fell back into the pit, he saw a tall, crimson reploid modeled like a dragon. He landed next to the little robot, which was pitifully trying to attack him. As he tried to push himself to his feet, the dragon slammed down on his back and pushed him into the ground. He grunted, briefly wondering how a hologram could inflict physical force on him. Before his thoughts could continue, the dragon's claws closed on his head and pulled him to his feet. He pulled a handgun out of its holster, but before he could bring it to bear he was punched again.

Marx stumbled back against the wall, instinctively jumping as the reploid called out, "Hadoken!" and sent a fireball his way. He grabbed the edge of the pit and hoisted himself up where he had more space. This reploid sounded familiar. It jumped up and stood before him, watching him with slitted eyes. Now he remembered! This was Magma Dragoon, the Maverick that destroyed the original Sky Lagoon, whose infamy had long outlived his brief rebellion.

Realizing he had dropped his handgun in the pit, Marx decided to go with plan B, although he hoped he wouldn't have to pay for any structural damage to the holo room. He brought up the shoulder cannon program, and he felt the armor casings on his shoulders fold vertically backward to reveal the cylindrical guns beneath. His targeting reticule dropped down over his right eye and three thin red laser beams flickered to life from an extension on his helmet.

He braced himself as Dragoon rushed at him, firing his shoulder cannons at point blank range. The discharging plasma boomed with sledgehammer intensity throughout the holo room, and the cylindrical cannons snapped back after firing to reduce recoil. Two pulsating plasma slugs slammed into Dragoon's chest, and his entire torso blew apart. As bits of metal and wires rained down on him, he was sure this wasn't a hologram.

"Got any more for me?" Marx asked casually.

"_Where...where'd those shoulder cannons come from?"_

"I play my cards pretty close."

"_They aren't standard issue," _Axl stated matter-of-factly.

"You're right. They came from a good friend of mine who didn't believe in self-fulfilling prophecies." When Marx didn't elaborate, Axl dropped the subject.

"_I take it you want to continue?"_

"Yeah, but I wanna ask you a question. Why wasn't that Dragoon clone a hologram? I'm pretty sure that little hat thing wasn't a hologram either."

"_You're talking about the met? Yeah, since mets are so simple to make, we deploy real ones. And, since Dragoon was supposed to be the final enemy in the training session, we make him out of real components for a greater challenge. Of course, the parts and armor we use are the cheapest on the market so we can make a bunch of them."_

"Okay then. I'm just supposed to keep going straight?"

"_You'll know what to do." _Marx nodded, then realized that Axl couldn't see him, and sheepishly replied into the comm link instead. He stepped forward, and suddenly reploids began running out of the walls and into the street. Most of them had glowing crimson eyes symptomatic of Maverick Virus infection, so Marx began firing his plasma cannons at them. As each energy slug hit, the target would dissipate in a cloud of pixels.

He noticed that they were firing back at him, but when a bullet hit he didn't feel anything. _Of course, _he thought, _they're holograms_. Soon though, the crowd of Mavericks disappeared suddenly and the walls returned to the original white. "_You idiot," _Axl said through the comm. "_You took too many hits. Just 'cause you can't feel them doesn't mean they don't count. There's laser sensors in your armor that can pick up the light from the bullets, like laser tag."_

"..Damn. Now that you've made me feel like a dumbass, can I give it another shot?" he asked. There was no reply. "Axl? Hello?"

"_...uh, not right now. Can you come back to the control room?" _Marx could hear voices behind Axl's.

"Sure," he said, beginning to walk back through the hall. Near the entrance, he found the little met walking about in circles, warbling and tripping over its own feet. With a smile, Marx took off his helmet, picked up the met and placed it on his head. He felt the little robot's feet shuffle about on his shock of brown hair, then settle down so it looked like he was wearing the miner's hat.

He stepped out of the holo chamber and into the waiting room where Zero stood, looking through a clipboard of papers. "Alright Marx, I've got some details about joining the Hunters that you need to work out," he said, without looking up. "First off, I need you...to..." As Zero looked up, he noticed the new helmet Marx was wearing and words stopped coming out of him. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, only to decide that it was better left shut. Without another word and with his eyes locked onto Marx's bizarre new fashion statement, he turned around and left the room after depositing the papers he had on the coffee table.

Marx chuckled and swiped the papers off of the table, forgetting that he had a robot on his head as the met was making itself quite comfortable to wear. He scanned through them quickly, then opened another door and walked into the operations room where Axl was sitting. The young reploid was hysterical. "I've never seen Zero look so surprised before," he said between fits of laughter. "You blew his mind."

"Is it really that easy to do?" Marx asked, arching an eyebrow for emphasis. He couldn't resist an appreciative audience.

"The new hat looks ridiculous, by the way."

"I kinda like him, now that he's stopped trying to attack me."

"Once the holo room is deactivated, metools become docile. You're not the first person to keep one for a pet," Axl said, standing up.

"But the first to wear one as a hat, I take it."

"Definitely the best." Marx merely shrugged. "Do you wanna know your score?"

"...My score?" he echoed.

"I mean, how well you did in the holo room. You need a certain score before you pass."

"Why would I need to pass?"

"To go on missions."

"Well, what's the point of being a Maverick Hunter if I can't go on missions?" Marx argued. He was aware that, if he failed, it was an excuse to avoid killing again, but the thought of being told what he couldn't do was more unbearable than the thought of retiring more Mavericks.

"Most Hunters work in the hangars until they pass the test. Besides, you said you had reading to do, right?"

"I guess so, but..." Marx wasn't really looking forward to being near Nephtis just yet. Distantly stalking was okay, but working with her was not. "Did I pass?" he asked hopefully. Axl glanced at the control console.

"Well...you need 250 points to pass, and you got 293."

"Sweet!" Marx exclaimed, but Axl cut him off.

"Minus the points taken off for getting damaged, that equals about 143 points."

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"Marx, you just stood there. This isn't a game. Even if it _was_ a game, you're still not supposed to let yourself get shot – "

"I know! I just wasn't thinking."

"...unless you have a lot of extra lives or something, but you still suck if you're not even gonna – "

"Look, in real life, I would have taken cover!"

"Then be glad you can do _this _over again," Axl said with finality. Sighing in defeat, Marx turned around and left the room with Axl behind him. He scanned through the papers he had taken off the table.

"New room, division assignment...looks like I'm in the 15th. I've never heard of that one before."

"That's because the Rookie Hunter Division doesn't do anything but menial tasks – "

"Wait...rookie? What does Zero think I am?"

"Stop cutting me off," Axl snapped. "I was placed in the 15th for a little bit too. Everybody's gotta do it. If you're good enough, they'll put you in a real division soon," Axl explained.

"Great..." Marx muttered.

"You gotta crawl before you can walk."

"Did you steal that line from Zero?"

"It's true."

"Yeah, but why do I feel like I'm getting the shaft here?"

"It's all part of the initiation. I've been here for two years, and I feel like they still don't take me seriously." Axl snickered as he said this, realizing it would be even harder for his fellow Hunters to take someone wearing a met on their head seriously.

"I'm gonna go check out my room. Where do all of you eat?"

"There's a cafeteria to the right of the lobby. Me, X, Zero, Selene, and a few other Hunters meet there at 18:30 every night. I guess you're gonna be there?"

"Yeah. I'll see you," Marx said, stopping as they walked by an elevator.

"Alright, later then," Axl called back as he kept going. Marx hit the 'up' button and soon the sleek elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. Once he arrived at his room, he found the door open and the interior dark. The bed against the right wall was just as spartan as the one in his last room, and the regen capsule next to it was just as nondescript. A metal table stood opposite the bed, lavishly equipped with a lamp on a flexible stand. Lying in the lamp's shadow was Marx's only possession, Nephtis's book on Egyptian mythology, which someone must have moved from his cell.

Also, the far wall was made of glass, though the drapes pulled over it obscured most of his view. He tugged them open and light spilled into the room. The metool on his head warbled and stood up, looking with big saucer-eyes at the city in the distance. Marx walked to the bed, took the little robot off his head and set it on the soft material. "Now I've gotta name you, don't I?" he asked it. The primitive mechaniloid didn't respond, but seemed rather transfixed with the lamp on the desk. "Okay, then. How 'bout Darius?" The metool blinked in response. "Yeah, Darius it is."

He grabbed the little robot and pulled it towards him. After looking around, he found that the little cross on its helmet was a button. The button slid open a panel on the met's head, and the little machine shut down. Marx found a small, PDA-shaped device protruding from the metal casing of the metool's brain, which he pulled out and began to tinker with. Eventually, he input the name Darius into the PDA and slid it back into his new pet. The panel closed and Darius's eyes flickered back to life.

It began to look about the room, but when Marx called out its name it snapped to attention like a balloon-sized soldier. He chuckled. "I'm making friends already, old man."

**End of chapter 8**


	10. Chapter 9: Thunderhead

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 9: Thunderhead

By Genoscythe

Marx stretched his arms and leaned back in his dull metal chair, inadvertently making the book of Egyptian mythology slip from his lap and onto the floor. Dutifully, Darius waddled out from the shadows and nudged the book with his triangular foot, trying to pick it up as best he could in the absence of any useful limbs. Marx finished his stretch and snatched the book from the little robot, setting it on the table illuminated by lamplight. After dinner, he had promised himself to get right to the section he had left off at the other day, but his curiosity intervened. He became wound up in the myths of Anubis, the Egyptian God of Judgment. Apparently, they thought he weighed the hearts of the dead against a feather, and if the heart was heavier than the feather, the dead human would be eternally damned.

The logistics of this setup bothered Marx. First of all, Anubis had to have a massive backlog of hearts waiting to be weighed, since the whole procession must have taken longer than it takes for a human being to die on Earth, especially if there was eternal damnation involved. Even if Anubis did a rush job on the eternal damnation and kept up on his heart quota, the test was heavily slanted against humanity, what with the average human heart weighing about seven pounds, and the average bird feather weighing significantly less. He wondered how anybody managed to avoid being eternally damned. It probably had something to do with bribery.

Marx had spent the better part of the night reading through passages on Anubis and Horus, the son of the Underworld's god, when he came upon a familiar page. He skipped the section he was currently on and found what he was looking for. "In the Hall of Judgment where souls awaited his verdict on their righteousness, Osiris sat at the throne with his wife and sister Isis, his other sister Nephthys, and his four sons, as well as a complement of forty-two..." Marx stopped reading. He knew this all sounded familiar, and in any case, he was sure he had found the passage Nephtis had meant for him to read. He decided to leave a more thorough investigation for later, shutting the book and sliding it down the table to rest on the corner as he moved to flick off the lamp.

However, as he did so, his door hissed open without warning and dim light spilled into the room, making him jump to his feet in surprise. With Marx still flinching from the mild shock, Nephtis entered his room without a word. He could barely see her features as they were silhouetted by the doorway, but he could recognize her spicy perfume from a thousand other scents. "I suppose privacy doesn't mean anything to you?" he asked.

"What would you have to keep private anyway?" she retorted.

"I could have been naked, you know."

"The thought of you naked was so far from my mind, it never occurred to me."

"Well, now I'm just gonna be naked all the time in here."

"You'll never see me again."

"Or maybe you'll learn to knock," he grunted. "What do you need?" His query fell on deaf ears, as it soon became clear that Nephtis was not paying attention to him anymore. Her gaze was fixed on Darius, who was too busy staring blankly into space to notice her. In one fluid motion, she bent down, scooped up the little metool and hugged it against her breast.

"God, he's adorable!" she whispered reverently, stroking Darius's mining helmet. Marx couldn't believe it. _Did I fall asleep at my desk? Is this a dream?_ No, if it were a dream, she'd be hugging _him _instead of Darius. Still, he thought the woman to be incapable of emotions outside the range of anger and condescension, but her drastic mood swing had even affected the posture she now took as she cuddled the little metool. "Aren't you? Yeah, you're the sweetest little met there is!" She rubbed its helmet again and Marx could swear Darius made a faint cooing warble. Astonished at Nephtis and disgusted by the overwhelming affection she was pouring onto the robot, he felt it was prudent to interrupt. In retrospect, this wasn't a very good idea.

"Hey, do you mind? Get your own damn pet."

As quickly as her mood change had come about, her back straightened, her synthetic muscles tightened and her face once again took on its icy glare.

"Elif air ab tizak," she said slowly, enunciating as if the power of her disgust might translate the words for her. She more or less succeeded. Before Marx could fumble out a suitable reply, she set Darius down gently on the desk and walked back to the door. She paused only for a moment to say, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to help me in the hangar tomorrow, but I see that was a mistake. Enjoy your upgraded prison cell." At that, she turned and walked out the door. As her footsteps receded down the hall, Marx was torn over whether or not he should apologize to her. All it took was a mental image of her angular, dark face to make up his mind. _I hope you appreciate this, woman..._He ran out the door, but by the time he got to the elevators she was already on her way to the maintenance staff's quarters.

Marx swore under his breath as he returned to his room and closed the door. He decided that he didn't want the hassle of a full recharge, so he simply flopped onto the bed and shut down.

* * *

Megaman X lay back in his capsule, thinking about the secret Alia had told him the night before. He could interpret it many ways, and he was trying to sort out the most innocent conclusion. _She wanted to join the Maverick Hunters because of me...why? She didn't even know me more than anybody else did. Were my actions really so inspirational that she decided to join the Hunters just to be closer to me? _X wondered. Maybe it didn't start out as a romantic interest. Maybe she only wanted to follow his example. There were too many ways to interpret her message, and he still couldn't picture her in his head without the image of Calliope superseding it. He didn't want to analyze Alia's words too closely. He didn't want to give up that image. He just wanted to...

...feel a warm, soft hand tracing letters on the side of his neck, scratching cursive curlicues with the tips of its fingernails. He closed his eyes and raised his own hand to enclose the other, tucking it into his fingers like a small animal.

"I miss you," he sighed, eyes still closed.

"I miss you too, Rock," Calliope whispered back. He could feel something shifting next to him in the capsule, bare skin rustling his uniform. He squeezed the hand tighter.

"You didn't deserve this," he said.

"_You_ don't deserve this," she countered.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, as tears stole past his eyelids and escaped down the sides of his cheeks. "What _can_ I do?"

"Open your eyes," Calliope told him. In a flash, he was staring at the ceiling through the capsule's glass door, cradling empty air in his right hand and wondering why there was sunlight peeking through the blinds in his room. He ran a quick diagnostic, and according to his system, he had spent a full night recharging. His face, however, was still wet.

As he opened his capsule and sat up, an urgent knock shook the plating on his front door, and he trudged across the room to answer it. Zero stood on the other side of the doorway with his arms crossed and a grim expression on his face. "We've got a slight problem," he said.

"You have a strange way of defining slight," X pointed out.

"Alia's found something in the mountains up north."

"What is it?"

"Well...we're not really sure. It's some kind of massive electrical disturbance near Dopplertown," Zero explained, unfolding his arms.

"And there hasn't been any Maverick activity in those mountains?" X asked.

"We don't know. A lot of our equipment has been malfunctioning since our comms died."

"But you were still able to detect the electrical disturbance?"

"X...we can practically _see _the electrical disturbance. It's huge, and we have no idea what's causing it."

"There's a lot of things we don't know," X groaned. Zero scowled.

"Look, whatever the hell's screwing with our equipment is making it really difficult to get information. It's not my fault, okay?" the crimson hunter growled. X held up his hands.

"Sorry, Zero. I...had a rough night."

"Who doesn't?" Zero replied bitterly. It wasn't the response X was hoping for, but he decided to move on.

"We've got to find out what's going on up there. I'll have the 17th ready to deploy in half an hour," X said.

"This could be serious, X," Zero said, his mood softening. "Unit 0's got your back."

"Thanks, Zero. We'll meet you at the hangar in thirty," X said, and Zero nodded in reply. Without another word, he turned around, his golden hair swishing about as he walked down the corridor to where the 17th's quarters merged with unit 0's. Since Special Unit 0 wasn't large enough to fill an entire barracks, they shared the floor with the 17th. As X began to broadcast a shortwave call to his teammates, Zero was rousing Selene from her chambers and practically dragging her out the door when she refused to leave.

"Zero, ugh...at least let me fix my hair!" Selene complained as she was dragged past.

"You're a reploid. You're about to...cover it up with a helmet anyway!" Zero protested, straining to pull along the resisting Maverick Hunter.

"I don't want it to look like this when I take it off!"

"Can't you wait? We're deploying in less than thirty minutes!"

"Hey, you understand what it's like, don't you?" Selene tried to stop herself when she realized what she was saying, but her mouth had already started and it wouldn't stop. Silently, X backed into his room and shut the door. Even so, he caught Zero's first outburst.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" As much as X wanted to watch the spectacle outside, he was afraid for his own safety. But now, calls were coming in from the 17th, and he had other business to attend to.

* * *

Commander Hector was not in a good mood. Thanks to a well-timed particle scan from one of the Maverick Hunters' senior navigators, they had uncovered what could well be a secret Maverick superweapon to the north, and yet his division was being sent into the wasteland on a scavenger hunt for a minor enemy installation. According to Megaman X, the Maverick base's leader had already been retired, and even the glory of terminating a high-profile target had been taken away from him. Still, the big lion considered himself a professional. He would never let it show.

"Based on the intel our source has provided us, the installation is located about twenty kays south of the Maverick Disposal Plant," Hector informed his division, crowded as they were into a tiny briefing room. The original architects underestimated the size of the 9th Ranger Division, and despite the fact that the 9th was one of the smaller Hunter divisions, they seemed to be twice their size when packed into their briefing room. Hector barely had room to maneuver his pointer as he indicated a red circle overlapping the map being projected by the wall. "It's a subterranean base, and they're likely at about three-quarters strength. Everything else we'll have to find out for ourselves."

"You want me to bring my shovel, boss man?" Malakai asked, slouching smugly in a front row chair. Nobody understood why, but Malakai always arrived at briefings at least two hours early. He obviously relished being able to tease the late Hunters crammed in the back, but he often went so far overboard in getting to meetings early that this explanation was no longer adequate, especially since he was teased far more often for an occasion when he spent the night in the briefing room because of a meeting that took place at noon on the next day.

"It's a big area to cover, I know," Hector continued unfazed. "Signas knows it, too. That's why he's sending us. Because nobody can move faster, nobody can track better, and I have never _seen _a bigger group of well-oiled death machines than I see before me now."

"Aaand...commence cheers," Malakai said, as the division gave their leader a scattered round of applause.

"Shut up, Malakai," one of the rangers called.

"Hey, I suggest we send Mal out there by himself," another chided.

"Denied," Hector replied, without irony. "We can do what no other division does because of our teamwork. I don't care how much you hate Malakai, you watch his back out there."

"I didn't know you felt that way, boss man," the lanky Hunter said, getting to his feet.

"Of course, Hunter. Why do you think you're still alive?" Hector said, and a begrudging smile split his black lips. _This is humiliating, _he thought, waving a gloved hand and sending the Hunters out the door. _We're going to be out picking carrion while the whole island might be in danger. _His smile turned into a snarl as he loped out of the empty briefing room. _What a waste of time._

_

* * *

_"Hey, what are all those people doing here?" Marx pointed with the wrench in his hand at the gathering of armored Maverick Hunters near the hangar bay. Nephtis shook her head, with a hell-if-I-know look on her face. Despite her stern protests, Marx had practically forced her to put him to work in the hangar as an apology for his outburst the previous evening. She had reluctantly accepted his offer, though Marx liked to think that she was just playing hard to get.

He recognized a few hunters in the group milling about, namely Axl and Megaman X. Some techs were handing them equipment, but before he could watch further Nephtis pulled him back to work on the new ride chaser. It was far more extravagant than the other chasers he'd seen, with an angular nose and golden airfoils flowing out of the sides on the front and back of the vehicle. The entire machine was colored saffron, and from the nose backward it became thinner and lifted farther off the ground up to the engines, which were tall and thin. The engines were placed at a slant on the back of the craft, and from a distance, the chaser resembled a flaming arrowhead.

He still thought 'Zephyr' was a lame name for it, but he figured he was on thin ice without pointing that out, and even Marx knew when to keep his mouth shut occasionally. He began to detach the left fin on the nose so he could install one of the pulse cannons, but as he unscrewed the part from the chaser, it slid off and clattered to the floor noisily. He sucked in his breath, waiting for the inevitable scolding. Surely enough, Nephtis's face appeared over the top of the ride chaser.

"This is a prototype, moron! It has to be perfect! If the tests are off because you didn't know how to unscrew a goddamn airfoil, I'll take you apart and turn you into a coat rack," she said sternly. Marx looked down at the fallen part in disbelief.

"It just fell! Look, it's not even scratched!" he cried. "Also, coat rack? What?"

"Are you gonna try to be more careful, or not?"

"I _am _trying to be careful!" he said, rising and leaning across the chaser to face her. He noticed with satisfaction that she backed up a few inches. "I didn't ask to be stuck down in this pit. I'm not very good at this auto shop crap."

"Then what _are_ you good at?" Nephtis snapped. "Obviously, you haven't passed basic training, or you wouldn't be here."

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Marx said. The indignation drained from his voice, and he pushed off the Zephyr to return to the discarded airfoil. He took the silence that followed to mean that Nephtis was contemplating his response, or possibly working on an apology. However, when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw her back turned and her right hand raised in salute. Marx looked past her to see Commander X standing before them, saluting in kind. He shot up, dropping the fin noisily again and trying to imitate Nephtis. X broke the salute.

"Remember what I said about salutes, Nephtis?" he asked her.

"Yes, sir."

"Please, try to stop doing them."

"Yes, sir."

"When's the new ride chaser going to be ready?" X asked, diplomatically directing the question to both of them.

"Should be less than a few hours 'till the prototype's done," Nephtis said. Marx had now seen two new sides to Nephtis – Adoring Nephtis and Polite Nephtis – and neither of them had been used on him.

"Great. I'm heading out now, and when I get back, I'd like to test it," X said as he turned around to face his division again. As he did so, Nephtis punched Marx in the arm for dropping the fin again.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll be sure to have it completed by then," she said as he walked away. As soon as X rejoined his group, which now included Zero, Selene, and a handful of Hunters Marx didn't recognize, the whole of them disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Nephtis sighed and Marx grinned.

"Having fun with your boyfriend?" he chided, though his words stung himself more than they appeared to sting her.

"Show some respect. If it weren't for Commander X, none of us would be here right now."

"I know, but you act awfully friendly around him."

"That's because Commander X is a gentleman and a hero. He's more than most men are." Her remark hit home, and without another word Marx grabbed the pulse cannon from a table nearby and shoved it into the socket behind where the airfoil would lock in. He screwed the fin back on, his thoughts boiling. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

* * *

"Commander, the energy signature is up ahead...Commander?" a Maverick Hunter clad in red and black armor spoke to X as he stood atop a flat rock, looking down at the ruins of Dopplertown. He could swear that the two small, roughly shaped headstones were still standing near the wreckage, but he was too far away to tell. Unwanted memories assaulted him, and everything that happened around him was muted, even the provocations of the Hunter next to him. Finally, after what felt like ages, his memories let go and he snapped back to reality.

"X! You need to see this _now!_" X looked about to see Axl running down the slope ahead, waving his arms and calling out to him. Slowly, he nodded and hopped down from his perch. As he moved up the slope to rejoin Axl, the Hunters behind him looked about warily. The mountain was jagged and the sky was thick with lumbering clouds. If the Hunters were human they would have undoubtedly been freezing. As X moved up the slope, he came to the peak.

What he saw before him was anything but what he had imagined. A massive cannon protruded from a gaping hole in the mountain, electrical sparks dancing about the long, thick barrel of the giant gun. The cannon bore the Maverick insignia on the side, and it was aimed at Neo Tokyo City.

**End of Chapter 9**


	11. Chapter 10: Blitz, part 1

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 3: Defend MHHQ

Chapter 10: Blitz, part 1

By Genoscythe

**Mission 3: Defend MHHQ**

**Maverick Leaders: Unknown**

**Main Objective: Minimize damage to Maverick Hunter Headquarters**

**Secondary Objective: Disable the Thunder Cannon**

**Note: Units 9, 17, and 0 are unavailable for base defense**

**Commence Operation**

* * *

Thunder Raven's head swiveled about, watching his team breathe cackling life into the titanic cannon filling the cavern before him. The Thunderhead was almost to firing capacity, but he was certain the Maverick Hunters had noticed it by now. It was one thing to hollow out a mountain and steal parts from the ruins of Dopplertown while the Hunters were preoccupied with affairs in the city, but once the cannon was activated, the magnitude of its energy signature broadcast their presence across the entire island. Thus, the jet black bird had placed his most trusted soldiers on guard at the mouth of the cave, and his most diligent workers in the bowels of the machine.

"If you don't need me anymore, I'm gonna return to my post," a strong, clear voice said behind him. Thunder Raven's feathers stood on end, and his head swiveled around to see who had managed to sneak up on him.

"Oh, it's you," Raven said. Stealth Claw was resting against the cavern wall, but it appeared as though the lithe snow leopard would pounce at any moment. Raven could practically see the youthful energy rippling beneath his ash-gray fur. "Did I say we didn't need you anymore? I never said that."

"I gave you the message. Stinger and Di are counting on you."

"On _us_, cur. The Maverick Hunters are likely to be coming down on us at any moment, and you want to leave?"

"I'm a cat," Claw pointed out.

"I noticed," Raven seethed. "What of it?"

"Dogs are curs, not cats. Y'know, just FYI."

"Do you think, by trying my patience, I'll let you go?" the Maverick leader scoffed.

"Oh, I'll go whether you want to let me or not," Claw told him with a fanged grin. "It just seemed polite to tell you first."

Thunder Raven raised his spear and slammed it back into the bedrock, discharging a miniature electric storm at its base. His gloved hands kneaded the handle, and he felt himself slipping out of control while something red and murderous took his place.

"No," he said, and it took Claw a moment to realize Raven wasn't talking to him. "I've worked too hard for too long. I will not put my revenge in jeopardy for a petty squabble." He relaxed his hold on the spear and drew himself up to his full nine and a half foot height. "You may leave, coward."

"I'm not a coward," Claw protested. "I've got someplace to be."

"Where? Your entire unit has been mobilized against the Maverick Hunters."

"It's none of your business," he said. "But hey, thanks for making this easier on me. See you around, yeah?" Just as Stealth Claw uttered his last syllable, a piercing whine broke out over the symphony of toiling reploids, and several workers screamed while a wave of heat washed over Thunder Raven's body. His head swiveled back, burning beneath his feathers for having been surprised twice in such quick succession. It had to be the Hunters making their move.

However, when he saw the scene before him, he couldn't tell what had happened or who was responsible. Clouds of smoke and dust obscured the cannon and the surrounding work area, but as he watched, several Mavericks stumbled, charred, out of the debris. Was there an accident? Did the cannon backfire? He trusted his engineers, but they were working with scavenged parts, and there was only so much they could do with Dr. Doppler's ancient equipment. One of the workers collapsed at Thunder Raven's feet, clutching a hole burned through his chest. Raven grabbed him by the shoulder and hoisted him up until they were at eye level.

"What happened? Is the cannon still operational?" he asked brusquely.

"I don't know!" the Maverick whimpered. "There's someone in there. Got a beam cannon..."

"A Hunter?" Raven cawed. "Is it Megaman X?"

"I didn't get a good look! Ugh...let me down, sir, I can't feel my legs..."

"Intruder alert!" the Maverick leader bellowed, dropping the worker and nudging him aside. "All hands to zone three!"

Thunder Raven watched the cloud of dust ceaselessly, even as Maverick groups lined up on either side of him, readying busters and handheld weapons. It would clear away eventually, and then the Hunter would have nowhere to hide. Raven would have opened fire already, if not for the almost certain chance that he would damage the Thunderhead in the process.

As visibility improved, Raven held up a hand. "Prime your weapons, brothers. He won't have long to hide before – "

Suddenly, a gray form clad in geometrically-perfect armor shot out of the dust cloud, soaring over the cluster of Mavericks. They raised their weapons, but before they could fire, it held out one of its cylindrical arms and a brilliant beam of blue energy slashed through their line, tearing reploids apart and kicking up more dust into the dim cavern. Since they were now facing away from the Thunderhead, the remaining Mavericks opened fire and didn't stop until the dust was blown away.

There was no body, or any other sign that a reploid had been there besides the countless holes blasted into the wall. Fortunately, Stealth Claw had already taken his leave, or Raven would have to explain to Vulcan Stinger how one of his most promising soldiers had been blown to pieces by his own men.

"Find him!" Raven shrieked, glancing at the deep groove carved into the ground that marked the path of the reploid's beam cannon. It had missed him by a few scant inches. "And check the Thunderhead. Repair any damage he may have caused. I will not let this slow us down!"

* * *

The wasteland gaped at the 9th Ranger Division, wreckage of Pre-Eurasia Earth jutting like rusty teeth out of the scorched sand. They were split into teams of two, each scouring the pale ruby dunes for signs of Maverick activity. Commander Hector wasn't hopeful. The base would have been hard enough to find if it were above ground, what with the burnt-out skyscrapers and pieces of the fallen space colony providing a veritable forest of hiding places, but searching through the endless fields of irradiated sand would be next to impossible.

Roy and Pris, the Hunters designated Team One, were on point, scanning the dunes as they approached a shattered, blackened wall that once belonged to a high-rise tower. It, like the fragments of the Eurasia colony, had been left to rust while the population of Earth was forced to spend all their efforts terraforming their own planet. Even though their efforts were paying off, the wasteland west of Neo Tokyo City was deemed a low priority area, and recovery operations weren't scheduled to begin until after the turn of the century.

Team One leapt from the mottled sand and began scaling the wall; as soon as their hands touched the surface, the reddish hue of their armor washed over with gray and flecks of rust. The Rangers, who were all but invisible on the sand and were now all but invisible against the side of the wall, scrambled up the ruin until Roy found a protruding support beam to perch himself on. His partner kept her opaque fishbowl helmet behind the wall while he scanned the horizon with a non-reflective visor.

Pris knew something was wrong when it took her partner so long to respond. When he finally did, it was in a small, strained voice, managing only a single word.

"Go."

Pris kicked off the wall, diving for the sand below, but a massive ball of plasma collided with the wreckage, flaring out and engulfing both Hunters. At the back of the group, Hector could see the green explosion, and he threw himself against the side of a dune. His smooth armor shifted to match the pattern of the ground beneath him, and he yelled for his spotter to do the same.

"Did we set off a defense network?" Hector asked the other Hunter.

"No, sir," the spotter replied. "I saw the trajectory. That was artillery."

"Artillery? Why the hell would the Mavericks be..." Hector trailed off as a series of plasma blasts echoed out over the wasteland, followed shortly by small arms fire. The comm channels in his head were quickly falling silent as his Hunters were cut down.

"_I can't recall! We're being jammed!"_

"_Break for the colony, we'll lose 'em in there."_

"_Shit!"_

Hector growled and readied his elongated buster arm. "The Mavericks are equipped with artillery and IT jamming tech. Where was any of that in our intel?"

"_Commander, we're taking shelter in the ruins," _his captain, Deckard, told him via comm link. _"There's a whole damn army between us, so you'd better head south and find cover."_

Hector was about to take his advice, but he noticed something unusual in his comm display. "Captain, where's Malakai?"

"_I don't know, sir, I think they got him."_

"He's not dead," Hector said, crawling with his spotter toward more burnt-out skyscrapers to the south. "He's still on the comm network, but he's out of range."

"_Who buddied up with Malakai?" _Deckard asked the surviving Hunters.

"_Leon...but he went down quick," _one Hunter answered. _"Didn't see any piece of Mal, sir."_

"Damn it!" Hector snarled. This was one indignation too many. All his carefully-maintained stoicism and practiced discipline bled out in sharp, panting breaths. "This smells like a trap. Goddamn traitor. He won't get away with this."

The 9th Commander stopped crawling and pulled himself to the lip of the sand dune. His spotter stopped as well, though he remained in place.

"Commander, we have to get out of here!" the Hunter begged. "Deckard said there's an army out there, we can't take on siege tanks by ourselves!"

"Then go!" Hector roared, charging his long-range buster. "This is a matter of honor. I'll get the bastard myself."

His spotter nodded, but he went rigid as a gunmetal claw burst out of the sand beneath him and impaled him through the chest. Hector rolled onto his back and fired a sniper shot at the ground, but the sand suddenly erupted, throwing the spotter's body into the air and masking the attacker's approach. The Maverick landed on him, and as the dirt sloughed off his rough-hewn chassis, Hector could see that it was Vulcan Stinger, the Maverick leader that Commander X had supposedly retired. His paint job had been completely burned away, except for the ill-fitting orange chestplate and heavy green leg he had cannibalized from other reploids. His tail had also been replaced by an industrial crane, which was now slick with the spotter's blood-fuel.

"Nobody can just mind their own business these days," Stinger chittered. "I almost feel sorry for you. Your timing couldn't have been worse."

Hector swung a hefty fist, but Stinger dodged it and pinned his arm to the ground with his tail. In retaliation, the Maverick scorpion began to beat continuously on his head, pummeling Hector until his face was almost submerged in sand.

Cackling madly, Stinger picked up the dazed Hunter and threw him down the slope of the dune, and as Hector tumbled over the sand, Stinger opened fire with his vulcan cannons, bathing the lion reploid in screaming hot lead. By the time Hector lost momentum, he was billowing smoke from an incalculable number of bullet holes.

Vulcan Stinger slapped his four hands together, eliciting small clouds of dust from each before he turned on the Maverick army's general comm channel.

"Leave the jammer. We don't have time to hunt down all of these chameleons, so we'll just have to slow them down. The raven is counting on us, and we have to distract the Hunters for as long as we can."

* * *

Marx continued to toil on the Zephyr's outer hull, as Nephtis didn't trust him with anything more delicate than a wrench or a powerdriver. She busied herself at a computer console on the other side of the vehicle, honing the onboard computer's aim assist and navigation systems. Marx had to wonder how such an undisciplined reploid managed to acquire such a diverse skill set, because it was clear that she wasn't ex-military. She wore her brown uniform unzipped to the waist, where she tied off the sleeves at her back, and the only armor on her was her hip guard and her gray boots.

Marx had been explicitly told to wear his armor at all times in the hangar bay, and considering how comfortable reploid armor was designed to be, he saw no reason not to other than simple pigheaded disobedience. Being a fan of pigheaded disobedience, Marx could understand why Nephtis chose to wear a black tank top instead of full armor, and if he weren't still a bit nervous being surrounded by Maverick Hunters, he would have abandoned the dress code himself. At the very least, he wanted to encourage the tank tops, because they afforded him an excellent view of the muscular tapestry along her arms and back.

That thought brought him back to his original question. _What kind of civilian reploid would be built like that? And where did she learn how to make a chaser from scratch? _Unless her mythology collection was supposed to be taken literally, she was probably not bestowed with these abilities by the god of the underworld. That left very few options remaining. Perhaps she _was _ex-military, but her attitude got her an early discharge. Or she was commissioned by someone rich, who decided to spend their fortune creating...the perfect cranky mechanic?

His thoughts were interrupted by a faint tremor in the floor, like a distant earthquake. "What did you break now?" Nephtis asked, not turning away from her console.

"Hey, not everything's my fault, you know!" Marx yelled back at her, and to accentuate this point, another tremor hit the hangar bay. This time, the entire HQ shook with such force that he was thrown over the Zephyr, while Nephtis had to grab the sides of her console to stay upright. Tools from the shelf behind Marx rained harmlessly on his boxy armor, and he was momentarily glad he'd decided to obey the rules for once. As he righted himself, klaxons blared overhead and the hangar was bathed in scarlet light.

"I guess it really isn't you this time," Nephtis muttered between the howling sirens.

"_All Maverick Hunters prepare for combat! Maverick Hunter HQ is under fire! Repeat: All Hunters prepare for combat! HQ is under fire! Maverick legions to the West! Repeat: To the West!"_

"What are _we_ supposed to do?" Marx asked. Instead of replying, Nephtis rushed into her office and slammed the door. "Thanks, sounds like a plan."

He noticed other mechanics preparing their equipment for battle, and Hunters were already pouring out of the elevators. All he had was a prototype ride chaser and his combat armor. He glanced down at the Zephyr, and an idea began to take hold that both exhilarated and terrified him.

"Does this thing actually work yet?" he called to Nephtis. Through the window in her office, he could see her silhouette throwing off her tank top and sliding into the sleeves of her uniform. She paused with the uniform still hanging off her shoulders, and Marx saved a still image of that moment to be properly enjoyed when the HQ wasn't coming down around him.

"It has power, but no software. Why? Is somebody asking to use it?" she yelled back.

_Something like that, _he thought. Without explanation, he unlocked the chaser's stand and keyed it on. The engines at the back hummed to life, and the anti-grav pads on its belly pushed it gently into the air. Considering it had never been tested, the machine's engine rumbled flawlessly, and as it hovered waist-high in front of Marx, it appeared to be perfectly balanced.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Nephtis cried, producing a note of panic he never thought he'd hear from the steely mechanic.

"Something I'm good at!" he replied, mounting the Zephyr and stomping on the accelerator. He missed his old ride chaser, and the feeling of weightless liberation filled him with excitement. He was no longer afraid. Several other Hunters on chasers were speeding along a lane built into the hangar that led to the exit ramp, and he fell in behind them.

Back at the workstation, Nephtis threw open the door and flew down the steps, staring in disbelief at the empty ride chaser stand. She had only managed to get her uniform, chestplate, and one gauntlet on, but if she wanted any hope of catching Marx, she didn't have time to finish arming herself. Nephtis ducked behind the workstation and whipped off the tarp she had hung over the old Adion ride chaser that had inspired the Zephyr, and to her relief, the machine started up immediately despite being a relic of the Repliforce War.

_He's braver than he looks, _she mused, swinging a leg over the chaser and starting off for the exit. She wasn't sure what was more important to her at the moment – recovering her prototype or preventing Marx from getting himself killed – but she decided to worry about that once she caught up with him. To that end, she pushed down on the dash button, and the red Adion chaser sliced through the air like a thrown dagger, boosting toward the rectangle of auburn sunset at the far end of the hangar. It periodically lit up with green flashes of plasma, and the sounds of battle were becoming clearer the closer she got.

Only then did Nephtis realize she hadn't brought a weapon.

* * *

"Zero? Where are you?" X asked.

_"We're on the opposite side of the mountain, X. Did you find the energy signature?" _Zero asked over the comm link.

"Yes. It's a giant cannon."

"_You've gotta be kidding me."_

"Sorry Zero, I'm not. Get over here as soon as you can." Without a response from Zero, the link was severed. X looked back at a Hunter behind him. "Still no heat readings?" he asked. The Hunter wore a full helmet, equipped with a visor and a powerful antenna attachment.

"Still nothing, Commander. Shouldn't we move in and try to destroy that cannon?"

"Not yet. We wait until Special Unit 0 gets here," X said calmly. With almost a century of combat behind him, he had learned to control his fear and make the kind of decisions his Hunters expected of him. They didn't always like it, but they knew he was right. Every second they spent waiting for Unit 0 was another second closer to letting the cannon fire, but if they did not attack with sufficient force, they wouldn't make it in time anyway.

A proximity alarm went off in X's mind, and as he turned his head, Endymion materialized out of thin air in his sleek silver armor. "Are you with the rest of Unit 0?" X asked him. Endymion shook his head.

"They're struggling with the terrain, but it should only take a minute. Commander Zero told me to scout ahead," the stoic hunter explained. X nodded absent-mindedly. "Permission to enter the cave?" Endymion asked.

He would have denied any other Hunter. He would not have trusted anyone else to begin the assault without giving away their position. "Granted. Just call if you need backup," X said. Endymion scoffed, and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Moments later, Special Unit 0 dropped into the group from the rocks above, and they initiated the attack. X led the charge, with Zero and Axl close behind him. When they reached the cave entrance, they found four sentries with their throats cut and several deactivated defense turrets.

As X looked down the massive tunnel, he could feel the charge from the giant cannon next to them. The barrel extended as far back as he could see, until it plunged into darkness at the back of the cavern. Throughout the tunnel, equipment and Mavericks were scattered about, and now they began to take notice of the Hunters. The nearest crowd of Mavericks pulled out beam rifles from holsters on their back, but before they could fire a single shot they were annihilated by a wave of ordnance from the 17th. This, however, caught the attention of the Maverick workers, who began running and calling for assistance.

X and Axl took cover in an alcove while Zero led his unit and the rest of the 17th in slaughtering the Maverick force. "This cannon must have a generator, right?" X asked Axl.

"This baby's pretty primitive, considering it uses electricity for power," the younger hunter noted. X nodded.

"I'm sure it's too big to fit in the cannon," he said. "They've got to be hiding it somewhere."

"Maybe it's in the walls?" Axl offered. X switched his optics to night vision, and in the blink of an eye his muddied vision became sharp and emerald-tinted. He looked around at the alcove they were hiding in, and as he hoped, a door was located behind a rock outcropping that had been completely shrouded in darkness before.

"Axl, switch to night vision. I've found a door," X whispered. Axl complied, and he soon found the door as well. Readying his buster, he kicked the door open and swept the barrel down the hall. Empty. The two reploids ran down the hallway, keeping their weapons at the ready. The hall was cut directly out of the rock, and X didn't think it looked terribly stable. He urged Axl to hurry, and they doubled the pace. The corridor made a turn, and as X turned he ran straight into a Maverick dressed in combat armor.

The two enemies fired at the same instant, but as the Maverick was too startled to move, X deftly hopped to the side as he fired. However, the shot merely burned a hole through his opponent's armor, and it took a bullet from Axl to bring him down completely. X pushed past the staggering Maverick and kept going down the corridor. Though he didn't mention it to Axl, he had no idea where he was going, but he knew the Mavericks had to be hiding something important in this network of corridors.

"X! In here!" Axl called, and X turned around. Axl had stopped to stare into a large hole dug through the wall, which X had missed while trying to work out the cavern's floor plan in his head. He walked in beside Axl to find themselves facing a massive electrical generator built into the rock wall. More importantly, a control console was built on top of it, and X could only guess that it controlled the power flow to the entire cannon.

Something he didn't notice immediately was the small black oval sitting at the control console. The oval suddenly unfurled itself, and the blackness burst outward and morphed into wings sprouting from a tall, bird reploid coated in jet black feathers and elegant silver tribal armor. The bird sprung into the air above the generator, and the errant sparks shooting from the giant cylinder clouded about him and danced off his feathers.

"I was hoping they would send you, Megaman X," the reploid said.

"What do you want with me?" he responded.

"Do you remember Wind Crowrang?" the Maverick asked.

"I remember them all," X said.

"Hey, X. Maybe we should just shoot this guy and stop that huge cannon," Axl suggested hopefully.

"Then you may recognize me," the Maverick continued, ignoring Axl completely. "He was my brother, and he was a far worthier reploid than I. My name is Thunder Raven." Raven fluttered to the ground to face the two Hunters. "And I will be his redemption."

**End of chapter 10**


	12. Chapter 11: Blitz, part 2

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 3: Defend MHHQ

Chapter 11: Blitz, part 2

By Genoscythe

"Commander! Commander, are you alright? Can you hear me?" Captain Deckard called, shaking the bullet-riddled body of Commander Hector. The lion slowly wheeled his arms across the burnt red sand, but his sluggish awakening abruptly sped up as his eyes flew open. He sat upright, oblivious to the pain shooting through his abdomen.

"Slimy traitorous son of a bitch," he snarled, simultaneously spitting blood from his mouth. Deckard, who had been leaning over his fallen Commander, now righted himself and motioned toward a tower of junk several dunes away.

"The Mavs are heading for HQ. They left their jammer behind, but we found it and Gaff's disabling it as we speak," he explained, though his voice quavered slightly. He had never seen Hector so feral before. It occurred to him that his leader might be going Maverick.

"Shit. How long?" Hector asked.

"How long have you been out, or how long until the jammer is down?"

"Both."

"About twenty minutes. At the speed they were going, the Mavs have probably hit the HQ by now."

"Malakai?"

"Nobody saw him. The jammer's almost down, though, so we should be able to make it back any minute. Once we fight off the Mavs, we can check the IT logs and find out where Mal went."

Hector just huffed, stood, and flexed his mangled arms. They still had full range of movement, so he shut down his pain receptors and began checking the rest of his armor. The two hoses on either side of his ribs had been ruptured, and the coolant for his variable camouflage system was leaking down his legs. That was fine. He wasn't going to bother with stealth anymore.

"_Jammer gone," _Gaff said via comm link. _"Permission to get the hell outta here?"_

Hector was gone in a beam of yellow light before the field engineer could finish his query.

"...granted," Deckard answered instead. "Back to base, everyone. Get ready to take the fight to the Mavs." This earned the Captain a round of affirmative grunts and cries, and he could sense the spirit returning to the battered remains of his team. The survivors of the 9th Ranger Division teleported away, leaving over half of their unit to rust in the bloody desert sands.

* * *

Zero had warned Axl about situations like these. Thunder Raven was going to ask that Axl leave them so he and X could have an old-fashioned duel, and X was going to go along with it because, in Zero's words, he could 'be kind of a sentimental moron sometimes.' Well, Axl wasn't going to let that happen now. Wherever that cannon was pointed, he couldn't let the Mavericks fire it, and there was no way he was going to leave it up to a one-on-one grudge match to decide the fate of the Mavericks' target.

Right on cue, Thunder Raven spread his wings and declared "This is a fight between me and my brother's murderer. Remove yourself from our presence, Hunter."

"Not a chance!" Axl yelled, raising his pistols and firing a quick barrage at the statuesque Maverick. Thunder Raven merely twirled his spear and disintegrated the shots with a wave of electricity.

"Axl..." X murmured.

"If you insist on getting in our way, I will fire the cannon right now," Raven told him, flipping open his left gauntlet and revealing a small control panel.

"I had a feeling," X said through gritted his teeth. He turned to face Axl. "Leave us, Axl."

"No! This thing can't be ready to fire yet! He's bluffing!"

"Do you want to take that chance?" X asked. Raven tapped his spear on the ground impatiently.

"You can't be serious," Axl moaned, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Don't worry about me. Find Zero and try to contain the Mavericks in the cave," X ordered. Axl didn't move. "Now, Axl!" he barked, and the ebony Hunter was shocked into compliance by his serene commander's outburst. He slowly stepped backward and ducked out through the hole in the wall, and when X was certain Axl wouldn't be coming back, he whirled back around to come face to face with Thunder Raven.

"Bravo. You're not afraid to face me alone," Raven goaded.

"Why are you so determined to kill me in a fair fight?" X asked.

"I already told you that you killed my brother. What more reason do I need?" Raven asked. X examined the Maverick.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You killed Wind Crowrang in a fair fight, and he was twice the reploid I was. He was so far beyond my abilities that our creator considered me a failure and put me in storage while Crowrang was sold to the Red Alert Syndicate. Now, I want to prove how much motivation can affect the outcome of a battle. This cavern will be your tomb, X."

"Enough. I know I can't change your mind, so let's get this over with quickly," X said softly. Raven's wings beat the ground, and he launched into the air as X silently charged his buster at his side. Raven whirled his spear in the air, long tendrils of electricity coursing through the weapon. He seemed to be oblivious to the energy bomb building in X's buster, so when the Maverick thrust his spear out, X whipped off a fully-charged blast before Thunder Raven could react. To X's surprise, the thunderbolt he let loose from his spear pierced X's buster shot, and the ball of prismatic energy dissipated completely before it reached its destination. X nearly forgot to throw himself out of the way as the electric projectile arced onward and grounded itself in the cavern bedrock.

Thunder Raven watched X crouching on the floor, and his eyes took on a crimson glow as they narrowed into vicious slits.

"Redemption," he said.

* * *

Marx's thoughts were obliterated the moment he activated the boosters on his new ride chaser, which was problematic considering he experienced this moment of euphoria in the middle of a warzone. He nearly careened into a Komodo ride armor defending the entrance to the hangar bay as soon as he soared up the ramp, but he swerved around it as tiny jets underneath the Zephyr's airfoils fired off with prescient timing, guiding him around the tall, slender Komodo and keeping him from spinning out of control in the process.

He was now faced with a scalding orange sunset and a desolate plain filled to the brim with clashing reploids. Behind the foot soldier melee, two rows of siege tanks sat pumping green plasma blasts into the side of Maverick Hunter Headquarters, and the combatants closest to the building were in danger of being crushed by falling debris. In order to avoid such a fate, Marx pushed harder on the accelerator and noticed gleefully that he was previously running at only half capacity.

Kicking the Zephyr up to full power threw him nose-first into a Maverick with a heavy machine gun, but the speed and shape of the ride chaser merely scooped the reploid up and over its slanted chassis, forcing Marx to duck as the Maverick spun over him. He was flying straight for another enemy, and he decided to bank right so as not to damage the chaser unnecessarily. The Zephyr rolled sideways for an instant, and the force of the anti-grav lifters knocked the Maverick off his feet before it swung upright again.

A focused beam from an energy cannon swept across his path, and Marx's world came back into focus. This was a battlefield. He was a Maverick Hunter now, and people were counting on him to repel the Maverick assault. Nephtis was counting on him, whether she was going to admit it or not. He pulled out his pistol and began firing at anyone with glowing red eyes and patchwork armor, guiding the ride chaser between combatants with his free hand. His shots didn't always connect, but at least two reploids went down in a spray of gunfire from his machine pistol.

_And I don't really care, _he noticed. _I can't care right now. _He rocketed past a Maverick with a beam saber about to finish off a fallen Hunter, and he fired a burst into the back of the Maverick's head that tore his homemade helmet to pieces.

_I just killed a reploid, _Marx realized. _No, that's not right. I _saved_ a reploid. _Feeling somewhat better about this, Marx scanned the fray until he saw the Maverick with the energy cannon who had almost shot him down. He stood more than a head taller than most of the other infantry, and he was almost buried beneath a citadel of purple armor. He trudged through the battlefield with a huge beam weapon cradled in his cannonball-sized fists, blasting ride chasers and clubbing Hunters to death with the hexagonal butt of his weapon.

Marx switched on the Zephyr's boosters again, and he launched himself at the Maverick juggernaut. The reploid turned toward him as he approached, lifting his beam cannon for the killing blow. Marx leaned around the chaser, now lifting diagonally off the ground from the thrust of its boosters, and let loose a volley from his pistol that shredded the Maverick's right arm. His aim faltered as he pulled the trigger, and the incandescent wave of energy ripped through the earth instead of the Zephyr.

Marx could tell the attack had barely slowed the juggernaut down, and he began to panic as he saw that there was no room for him to turn around for another pass. The Maverick would surely blow him to pieces if he tried to attack again, so he went for an opening between combatants and hoped to put as many bodies between himself and the juggernaut as possible. However, the melee was thinning out, and his only option was to push the Zephyr as fast as it could go and get out of the Maverick's range. As he soon realized, though, this tactic would put him right in the middle of the line of siege tanks he was fast approaching. Beyond the howling war machines, he could just make out a huge multi-tiered vehicle silhouetted by the sun. It looked like a mobile fortress. _Lucky me._

Kale, the Maverick juggernaut, was oblivious to everything around him but the fading speck of gold in the distance. Kale hated Maverick Hunters, he hated ride chasers even more, and he had never in his life suffered an injury without exacting brutal retribution. To that end, he raised his beam cannon again, fighting through the pain in his arm, half-blind with rage. This time would be no different. The scrawny Hunter in the oversized armor would burn, and then Kale would find the remains and grind them into the dust. Kale was not a very creative Maverick, but he had a zest for violence and mayhem that left most of his comrades in awe, and if Marx had known whose wrath he had just incurred, he would not have even considered turning around for another pass.

The navy blue reploid was speeding toward the Maverick tank line, and Kale had a perfectly clear shot at his back. He squeezed the trigger, and pale yellow energy began to collect in the mouth of his beam cannon. Suddenly, a white beam of light slashed through the Maverick's torso, and he was ripped in half as an Adion ride chaser, boosting with its ion blade unsheathed, tore through him.

Without a second thought, Nephtis deactivated the blade and killed the boost, lowering the chaser back to horizontal and leaving the juggernaut lying split down the middle on the barren ground. Her oil-black hair lashed at her face, and the hulking Maverick's blood trickled between the fingers of her bare left hand, but she didn't notice. Her prototype – and that idiot mercenary – were just up ahead, weaving between the rows of siege tanks and dodging fire from their defensive turrets. Nephtis knew that the Zephyr was fast enough to outrun the targeting systems on those tanks, and she could only hope that Marx knew it as well.

The pulse cannon on her chaser was burnt out after thirty years of service, but she had to do something to distract those turrets, so she wrung as much power as she could from the chaser's engine and flung herself into the Maverick's tank line. It wouldn't be enough to outrun their targeting systems, but it would give them something else to shoot at, and that was all she needed.

On the twelfth floor of Maverick Hunter Headquarters, an amber beam dropped through the ceiling and materialized into a smoldering Commander Hector. The IT recall had deposited him in the 9th Division barracks, but it was almost unrecognizable. The far end of the hallway had taken a hit from an artillery blast, and what was once a window wall had been enlarged into a blackened hole that consumed two of his Hunters' rooms.

Hector turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, and an engineer with a fire extinguisher ran up to the ragged lion.

"Commander Hector!" the engineer called. "Thank creation you're back. There's a Maverick army out there, and Signas wants all Hunters – "

"Get me Durandal," Hector interrupted.

"Sorry, sir? Get you..."

"Durandal."

"You mean the ECHO rifle?"

"Get it for me," Hector said, jaw clamped shut so tight that only his vibrating lips revealed any visible sign of speech. Without another word, the engineer scurried down the hall toward the elevators, heading for the armory. Hector walked up to the edge of the hole blown out of his barracks, and a long-range visor popped down from the utility brace around his head. He began to search the battlefield below him for the Maverick leader and, with any luck, that traitorous scumbag Malakai.

* * *

Thunder Raven swept down from the air like a giant black claw. He stabbed with his spear, but X ducked and slammed his shoulder into the Maverick's chest. Raven fell back and landed hard on the ground, but as X fired his buster he rolled over and shot into the air once more. X's buster swept upward and fired at Raven. The Maverick leader spun his spear, pouring forth electricity and creating an iridescent barrier that dissolved every one of his shots on contact. Raven stopped, and X lowered his buster, keeping a wary eye on the Maverick as he discreetly tried charging his weapon again.

Raven dove backward, making a full somersault and smashing into X with his shoulder with such speed that the Hunter had no time to release his charged shot. The maverick grabbed X and tossed him into the rock wall, but before the impact X placed his palms out, facing the wall. When he hit, the wall climbing program was already active and his hands stuck fast to the wall. As Thunder Raven dashed forth with his spear thrust outward, X flipped the rest of his body into the air and narrowly avoided the electrified spear that rent apart the wall below him. Coiled on the wall, X launched himself down at Thunder Raven and slammed him into the ground.

X raised his buster to the Maverick's head, but Raven's arm shot up and knocked the weapon away. With his other hand, he generated a ball of electricity and launched it into X's chest, causing the Maverick Hunter to fly back into the wall. Raven, picking up his spear, flew into the air once again. _He is strong...I have to finish this now and let my brother rest in peace, _Raven thought to himself as he watched the azure Hunter below. X was charging his buster, tensed to dodge any sudden attacks. Raven was equally prepared, and his eyes glinted with malice. Their stare down continued without relent, neither one willing to make the first move.

X finally gave in, and he fired off his muffled charge shot. However, the shot exploded in mid-air as Raven's spear flew through the bolt and carried on toward the 17th Commander. X caught it a moment before it impaled him, but an immense wave of electricity surged from the spear through his systems, and he dropped it immediately. Even still, the damage had been done and X involuntarily fell to his knees. Raven slowly hovered down to the ground to stand before the crippled hunter.

"What an incredible image," the Maverick began. "The forefather of all reploids, an ancient, obsolete machine that has fought and succeeded for so long on conviction alone. Here, I have proof that it is not the design, but the will, which decides the victor." Raven lashed out with a clawed hand and grabbed X by the helmet, holding him up to stare into Raven's glimmering red eyes. "I've known it all along! And now, I can give my brother his redemption." X wanted to protest, but he could barely move any of his limbs and even attempting so was horribly painful. Struggling valiantly, he opened his mouth.

"You're...making the same mistake...that Vile did..." Blue sparks danced about X's mouth as he spoke.

"I'm not making any mistakes!" Raven barked angrily.

"You're underestimating me..." X choked out. Suddenly, Raven began to caw madly.

"I'm not underestimating you! I know full well how dangerous you can be, but this time, your conviction has met its match."

"You're making another...mistake," X said, more forcefully this time. Raven silently beckoned for him to elaborate. "You're far too cocky," X finished, and with an anguished roar his fist shot out and smashed into Raven's chest, sending the Maverick tumbling to the ground. Struggling to keep his buster steady, X brought forth the last of his energy and fired at the prone Maverick. Then, something unexpected happened. Through the mysteries of X's design, the electricity binding his systems was drawn and absorbed into the power surge in his buster, and when he fired, the bolt was magnified several times over. It leapt out of his buster as a streak of blue lightning, tossing him backward from the recoil.

When X once again got his bearings, he stood up easily. It felt as if firing his buster had drained away all the pain and helplessness he had felt only a moment ago. Standing up as if he had been asleep for ages, he noticed a strange sound in the air, like the sound of someone being strangled. Then, the noise grew into a gargling cackle, and then a cruel laugh. X swept his eyes across the ground to find Thunder Raven, lying in a pool of blood with his lower torso missing and his arm gauntlet open. The Maverick stared at X with weary eyes as he reached over to the panel that was open on his gauntlet, and all at once X knew what he was doing.

"The cannon!" he cried, running at the cackling maverick. He was nearly a foot away when Raven's clawed finger touched the panel and his entire gauntlet began emitting a red light.

"If I can't redeem him here...I'll redeem him elsewhere..." Raven coughed. "There is nothing you can do..." X looked to the prone Maverick, then to the huge electric generator that was quickly increasing its electrical charge. With a roar, he fired at the generator, but the shot barely scathed the machine's armor. Desperately, he clambered up a small ladder on the generator's side and rushed to the control console he had seen before. "I told you...once I activate the cannon, it can't...be stopped."

X looked across the console, and saw large red 'Executive Override' stamps scrawled across every screen. He was locked out of the system. The generator whined and toiled its way toward critical mass, and a chill flushed all the adrenal-energy warmth out of X's body. The realization that Thunder Raven was right all along crept into X's metaphorical heart, and he stared down at the console as his hands began to tremble out of control. "What's...the target?" X asked in a quavering voice.

"Fool..." Thunder Raven croaked. "The rats' nest. Maverick Hunter Headquarters..."

"No!" X yelled, his numbed hands coming to life in a flurry of motion. He jumped from the generator and landed before the dying Maverick. "Stop it!" he cried. "If you want redemption, shut this cannon down!"

"You don't understand...what this means to me, X," Raven coughed, and a tear rolled down his eye. X was momentarily stunned – he didn't know combat reploids were capable of producing tears. "I am now worthy, brother..."

A massive electrical surge burst out of Thunder Raven's remains, firing bolts out of his eyes and mouth that traveled all the way to the far corners of the ceiling, until the blackened husk moved no more. Shakily, X tapped his comm link. "Zero, get out of the tunnel. The cannon is about to fire."

"_I know, damn it," _Zero sighed. _"The thing's discharging like crazy. We got out as fast as we could, but we still lost a few Hunters__."_

"The target is HQ. We've got to warn the – " X's voice was knocked out of him as the cave suddenly shook so violently that large boulders were dislodged from the ceiling above. X was thrown to the ground as the entire mountain rumbled with apocalyptic intensity. Above the grinding of pulverized stone, a deafening roar filled the cave, and once it subsided the quake went with it. X stood up to the sounds of panicked cries and curses pouring in through his comm link, most prominently those of Zero.

"_X...HQ, it's...shit, just get out here!" _Zero said to him. Silently, X ran out of the room and down the crumbling hallway, through the tunnel where the thunder cannon sat smoldering, and out into the open air where the 17th and Special Unit 0 were staring out into the distance. He followed their gazes, and he was forced to bite back a sorrowful gasp.

"So...this is what redemption looks like to you," X murmured to himself. The others didn't hear him.

* * *

Marx wove through a fine net of laser fire as the tiny defensive turrets lining the Mavericks' siege tanks opened up on him, and the Zephyr continued to amaze him as its reaction time seemed, occasionally, to be better than his own reflexes. He didn't turn back to rejoin the fray, and he didn't bother to try and destroy any of the siege tanks surrounding him – he wanted to cut the Maverick invasion off at the head. He had his eyes set on the mobile fortress looming before him, layered like a miniature ziggurat with guns and ECM equipment jutting out at odd angles. The tuning fork-shaped plasma launcher from a siege tank had been attached to its back, rising like a scorpion's tail against the boiling hemisphere of sunset.

_Rookie Hunter Division..._ Marx scoffed. _We'll see about that. _He cleared the tank line, and nothing stood between him and the fortress but a few dozen yards of barren desert. _I must be out of my mind._

Marx decided to put his workmanship to the test, and he thumbed on the Zephyr's pulse cannons. Nothing happened. Upon closer inspection, the panels covering the pulse cannons rattled a bit, straining to open in spite of his poor installation job, but that was all. He saw his options dwindling as quickly as the distance to the mobile fortress was, so he slammed on the brakes and pulled to the right. The chaser sputtered, rolled sideways, and dug its airfoils into the ground as it lost altitude.

Marx kicked the accelerator, and the Zephyr flared to life just as it was about to skid into the wedged front bumper of the fortress, blasting to the side and hooking around the vehicle's left hover tread. Turrets on the fortress's lower level began to track him, firing quick bursts of energy all around him.

"Marx!" A raspy voice yelled over the cacophony of battle. Marx glanced at the top level of the fortress as he swung around the back, and he caught a glimpse of Vulcan Stinger, his former employer, riding unevenly on the fortress's uppermost platform.

"This is a sad sight. You've become just another body in the horde rising up against us," he said. Marx continued to drive past the vehicle, heading for the cliff that ran along Neo Tokyo Island's southern coast.

"What happened to your ideals, Marx?" Stinger berated him, and Marx could feel the mobile fortress backing up after him. "Did they buy you out? Sooth the pain with cold hard credits?"

Marx reached the cliff face, and he circled around. The mobile fortress hovered toward him at a steady clip, bringing its rear turrets to bear and simultaneously exposing the power conduit linking the added plasma launcher to the fortress's core. Marx hit the boost one last time, and the Zephyr rushed to meet the glowing conduit on the back of the oversized tank. The turrets opened up on him, and he threw himself off the side of the chaser, crashing and rolling along the ground as the Zephyr sped like the flaming arrow it appeared to be into the hull of the mobile fortress.

The world tumbled wildly for a few moments, but when his momentum finally died out, Marx was presented with an image of towering green fire, raging and billowing out of the ruined fortress. Pieces of the vehicle rained down around him, and a saffron wing sliced through the air to bury itself in the ground next to Marx's head.

But he had done it. The invasion commander was dead, and their forces would soon fall into disarray. In any event, the entire Maverick Hunter organization was streaming onto the battlefield by now, and a pair of Hunters in Komodo ride armor had fought their way to the tank line, where they ripped at the vehicles with their brand new high-dexterity suits. One Hunter lifted his Komodo's leg and kicked the plasma launcher off the top of a tank, and the other punched through a tank's outer hull and set off the flash beam cannon on its wrist, frying the crew and blasting the war machine in half.

Marx thought he was safe, since the edge of the cliff was devoid of infantry and the tanks were all preoccupied with the 8th Armored Division, so it came as a complete surprise when the dirt behind him exploded and what felt like a vise clamped down on the back of his head.

"Let's see how many Maverick Hunters I can bring with me to Hell," Vulcan Stinger hissed in Marx's ear, and the clamp on his helmet began to tighten at a torturous pace.

Twelve floors above them, Hector watched the battle unblinking, scouring the fray for Malakai. His attention was diverted for a moment by a gout of green plasma fire from the clifftop beyond the Maverick tank line. One of the tanks had apparently backfired, and he would have resumed his search for the traitor if he hadn't caught a glimpse of Vulcan Stinger clawing himself out of the wreckage and diving into the dirt.

"Commander, I got the ECH – ah, Durandal," the engineer called, running up behind the ranger. Hector held out his hand in lieu of turning around, and the engineer began to feed him the External Callodyne High-powered Ordnance rifle, which proved difficult as the cream-colored weapon was nearly seven feet long and Hector insisted on holding it in one hand. When his fingers finally met the handle, he abruptly grabbed the cylindrical barrel with his other hand and dropped to one knee, packing the custom-built stock against his quarter-sphere shoulder pad.

The ECHO rifle, or Durandal as Hector had affectionately named it, was a prototype on loan from Callodyne External Ordnance, one of the largest handheld weapons manufacturers in the new world. It was an attempt to combine an anti-tank rifle with a sniper rifle, and the result was an unwieldy miniature Enigma cannon capable of destroying almost any target at any range in a single shot before melting down and spending three weeks in the repair bay. It also had the potential to seriously damage its operator, and almost every time it was tested, the subject ended up being repaired right next to the rifle. In the words of Callodyne's chief researcher, it was "the most impractical weapon ever to make it past the drawing board," and the 9th Commander loved it for the novelty value, although he would never admit it.

Hector keyed on the rifle's main generator with his thumb, and concentric circles expanded out of the barrel to hover and spin at increasing speed. Since Durandal transmitted its telemetry directly to Hector's brain, he continued to use his visor to aim, as the rifle's design prohibited the use of a scope. A Maverick Hunter in dark blue armor stood behind the remains of Stinger's burning tank, but as Hector watched, Stinger emerged from the dust behind him and fastened his improvised tail onto the Hunter's blocky helmet.

Hector could easily obliterate the Maverick leader, but he would also kill the blue Hunter. He decided to give the Hunter ten seconds to move out of the way, and he placed a finger over the trigger in anticipation.

Back on the ground, Marx felt the ushanka-shaped forehead guard on his helmet bend and crack under the pressure from Vulcan Stinger's grip, and his vision was glazing over with static. He reached for his pistol, but Stinger grabbed his arms and locked them behind his back. Marx was sure that he would snap at any second.

Stinger then let out a grunt, and the vise jerked sideways, pulling Marx loosely along with it. He used the reprieve to pull his head out as he fell, rolling and coming up to face the reploid scorpion. To his astonishment, Nephtis lay half-armored on top of Stinger, pinning the squirming Maverick to the ground. She whipped her bare head to glare at Marx, unkempt hair falling over the right side of her face.

"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" she yelled, but Stinger smashed his forehead against hers and threw her off of him toward the cliff edge. She came to a stop with one leg hanging out into the twilit void.

Stinger got up, training one gatling cannon on Marx and one on Nephtis.

"Another Hunter? You spawn like maggots," he muttered, as his gatling cannons began whirring. Suddenly, a red and orange energy beam as wide as a tree trunk split the sky, seeming to ignite the very fabric of the universe and set it burning. The earth-shaking beam originated from Maverick Hunter Headquarters, and it traveled directly between Nephtis and Marx to end up at the spot where Vulcan Stinger once stood.

The energy beam was gone in an instant, but it left a backwash of heat and wind that briefly pummeled Marx before dissipating into the darkening air. A neat hole had been burned through the ground, and Vulcan Stinger's upper torso lay next to it.

The fingers on Commander Hector's left hand were scorched down to the metal skeleton, but he still disengaged his visor first before letting go of the ECHO rifle's red-hot barrel. The pain receptors in his arms were still off, and he failed to notice that his left glove was bubbling and peeling away as he stood up straight for the first time since his disgrace in the wasteland. Durandal blared familiar warnings that he completely ignored. He knew the coolant was boiling. He knew the charger rings were off balance. He only cared about that damn Maverick Leader, the one Megaman X failed to retire, lying dead on the ground. He was the better Hunter. He could exhale.

"Commander Hector!" the engineer yelled to him. "We have to get to the bomb shelter. HQ's evacuating!"

"Why?" Hector asked as he turned around, and he noticed that the sirens overhead had just become more urgent. "The Mavericks are being routed as we speak. Their leader is dead."

"Don't have time to explain, sir. Come with me!"

Hector paused for only a moment, then he nodded calmly. "Understood." He walked past the engineer, and as he did, he handed him Durandal. The reploid grabbed it without thinking, but since his pain receptors were still active, he immediately screamed and dropped the rifle as smoke rose from his palms. Grumbling under his breath, the engineer grabbed the gun by its relatively cool stock and dragged it after him toward the elevators. He eyed Hector's multitudinous bullet wounds and whistled as the doors began closing.

"Are you okay, Commander?"

"I feel much better," Hector replied.

Back on the ground, Marx was locked in one of the most intense awkward silences he had ever experienced as he and Nephtis stared at each other over the crater made by their unknown savior. _She followed me all the way out here, _he realized. _For what? To watch out for me or her chaser? If it's the chaser, how do I begin to explain why I just rammed it up a tank's ass?_

"Marx..." Nephtis began slowly, still propped up on her knees on the edge of the cliff. She opened her mouth to continue, but the cliff rumbled and pitched back toward the sea, cracking along the outline of a chunk loosened by the energy beam's impact. Nephtis was shaken off balance, and she slid over the edge of the cliff, though she managed to dig her unprotected fingers into the dirt.

"Hang on!" Marx cried, dashing onto the collapsing clifftop. He managed to keep his footing on the slanting surface, but something tripped him as he passed the crater. He tried to step over the object, but it held on and began to drag him backward.

"I don't believe this," he breathed. Vulcan Stinger, legless, tailless, clung to his leg, digging the pincers on his wrists into Marx's boots.

"I'm not going alone," Stinger growled. "Not alone. I am not the failure they said I was."

"Enough is enough, damn it!" Marx said, swinging his leg and throwing Stinger's torso down the clifftop. He plunged past Nephtis, who had nearly pulled herself up over the side, and with a flailing arm succeeded in latching onto her shoulder.

"Shit!" she cried as the struggling Maverick on her back pulled her down again. "Marx, go!" she told him, hanging onto the cliff with one hand and trying to knock her passenger off with the other. "I'm not worth it!"

Marx ran the rest of the distance, even though the chunk of rock was separating from the cliff and tilting more vertical by the second. He dug his feet in to stop himself from sliding over the edge and grabbed her hand between his legs. Kicking with all his strength, he hoisted her up until she had her waist over the side. For a moment, Nephtis wriggled her hand free from Marx's grip and reached behind her, which allowed her to take Vulcan Stinger's head in both hands and give it a vicious twist. The Maverick's neck popped and sparked, then what remained of his body fell slack.

Nephtis shrugged off the limp Maverick and allowed Marx to help her up the rest of the way. The boulder was free of the cliff now, and as they ran up the falling rock, they seemed to be making no progress. It was too far to jump, and they were running out of ground. Before they knew it, the boulder fell out from under them, and they were forced to make a leap of faith.

Marx rerouted all his power to his legs, and for a terrifying instant he couldn't hear or feel anything but the racing thoughts in his head. _Not gonna make it, not gonna make it, not gonna make it..._

He hit the cliff face with his chest, and he swung his arms over the side before the blow could knock him backward. He rebalanced his energy output and crawled up onto flat ground, something he wasn't sure he would ever experience again.

Marx rolled onto his side, panting, and he saw that Nephtis had done the same.

"I told you – " she started, but he cut her off.

"I don't listen to you when you're right, what makes you think I'm gonna listen to you when you're wrong?" he asked.

Nephtis didn't reply, and he noticed her dusky eyes widen as the full impact of his statement sank in. Achingly, she pushed herself upright and stumbled away from the precipice to survey the battlefield. The rest of the Maverick forces were streaming away from the HQ en masse, and their siege tanks had all been torn apart by the 8th Armored Division.

As Marx walked up behind her, Nephtis bent down to inspect a golden fin buried in the dirt. Marx stopped his approach when he saw what she was looking at, but it was too late. She whirled around, her face livid, hair billowing in wavy tangles, and she shoved him away.

"You idiot! You crashed my prototype!" she screamed.

"No, I stopped that huge freakin' tank," he corrected. "Think positive. I'm trying it out, and it's actually working pretty well."

"Ugh, seggfej!" she spat, waving her ungloved hand dismissively at him.

"That doesn't sound like Arabic," he pointed out, determined to be unfazed by her outburst.

"Hungarian. It means you're a complete asshole."

"How many languages do you know?"

"Thirty, but I know insults in eighty."

"Okay, well, I only know five, so would you just insult me in the languages I can understand? I'm a big boy, no need to soften...the..."

"What?" Nephtis snapped, glancing over her shoulder to see what had frozen Marx's tongue. She turned just in time to catch the giant thunderbolt streaking across the sky as it collided with Maverick Hunter Headquarters. The building stood still for several seconds, coursing with electricity, until explosions began to rip through the HQ at the epicenter. The fireballs expanded until most of the base was gutted, and it swayed on its trembling supports before collapsing inward in a dying cloud of smoke and debris.

"Do you have a foreign curse word for that?" Marx whispered.

"No," Nephtis said.

**Mission 3 status: Failed**

**Maverick Leaders: Unconfirmed**

**Main Objective: Failed**

**Secondary Objective****: Achieved**


	13. Chapter 12: Shattered

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 12: Shattered

By Genoscythe

In answer to the thunderous echo hanging in the air, the wind increased in ferocity and made the view even more grim. Maverick Hunter HQ was falling to pieces, and X's future fell with it. Signas, Douglas, Marx, Alia... they were all dead, and how many more shared their fate? Being used to heartbreak as he was, X was barely holding back the urge to cry for all he was worth, feeling that he was almost directly responsible for this. Zero walked up beside him and cleared his throat. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking this is somehow your fault, am I right?" Zero asked. X merely nodded in reply.

"I had the Maverick leader in my sights, and the generator was right there. I had everything I needed to stop the cannon, but...I didn't."

"And I'm sure there's a damn good reason for it!" Zero snapped, punching X in the arm. "You always do this. It's not your fault. You tried your best. Nobody can be right all the time, so why do you always feel like _you_ should?"

"Because I always end up making life or death decisions, and when it's someone else's life in question...I usually get it wrong."

"Bullshit," Zero said.

"What?" X finally looked at his friend, and he could see a slight glint in his eye.

"In fact, that's almost too much bullshit to handle in one sentence. First of all, you're not usually wrong. Second of all, you are _not _the only one who..." Zero trailed off, shaking his head in disappointment. "Forget it. I've told you this a hundred thousand times by now, and you never listen. Why should it be any different now?"

"I...don't know," X fumed. That familiar ball of hatred was clawing its way up his throat again, and he was afraid he might snap in front of his friend. "Just let me think it over for awhile, Zero."

_So it's one of _those _moods, huh? _Zero realized, and he walked back to their temporary camp without responding. The surviving members of the 17th and Special Unit 0 were gathered under a rock outcropping, and they were passing out spare energy cells. X stood his ground, looking once more at the base of the mountain where Dopplertown lay in ruins. Being closer to the ruins, he could now clearly see the twin gravestones, and welcomed the bitter memories they brought forth.

However, in the midst of his reverie, X was brought roughly to reality by the sound of an impact close by. He looked to the sound to see a swirling pile of dirt forming over an inert body. He was about to make his way to the body when it jumped to life and flashed past him in a blur of dark silver. In the next instant, a blue blur pursued it, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

X looked in the direction the two blurs were headed as they tore up the mountainside, neither one gaining ground over the other. Then, suddenly, a beam of white light flashed down from the clifftop above and struck the silver blur. It stumbled, materializing into a recognizable reploid form before it was tackled and pushed down by the blue blur. X ran to them, and when he was close enough to see the blue form he stopped in his tracks.

"I've finally gotcha, little bastard!" the blue form cried out, pinning the silver form into the rocky ground. "You have no _idea_ how much pain you've caused me, so be a good boy and _stop struggling _before I pound your valuable head in!" The voice, the mannerisms...it could only be the lost Commander Genoscythe.

"Commander!" X cried out in elation. After all the years that Genoscythe had been gone, X still couldn't shake the habit of calling him commander. The deep blue reploid snapped his head around to face X, and his ensemble was entirely unchanged. The full faceplate, the crimson eye-lenses, the crested helmet and the large beam scythe strapped to his back were the same as they had been during the Second Maverick Uprising.

"Well, well...if it isn't Megaman X," Genoscythe said.

"What happened to you? After you helped me destroy the dinosaur tank, you just disappeared!"

"X, this isn't exactly the time for reunions," his former commander said brusquely as he struggled to hold the gray form's arms together. X looked more closely at it, and a sudden wave of recognition flooded over him. Its armor profile matched the reploid that had shot down his helicopter and killed Sylph. He hadn't forgotten the helpless fury this reploid had inspired, and he called it up now as he stared down at the alien visage.

The reploid was made of a strange metal, unnaturally smooth and laced with a pattern of lines that called to mind the geoglyphs of the Nazca desert. His arms and legs were encased in cylindrical armor, and his body was uncovered to reveal a metal skeleton entwined with what appeared to be real blood-red muscle. The only part of him that resembled either a reploid or a human was his head, which was covered in dark skin and topped with apple green hair.

"Commander...who is that?" he asked. Genoscythe looked down at his hostage.

"It's _really _complicated, X, but...I'll give you the short version. This guy's name is Trigger, and I've been sent here to get him back."

"Sent? By who?"

"Now that I can't give you the short version of."

"...Are they the same people you went back to after you disappeared?"

"Yeah. Look, don't worry about Maverick Hunter HQ. I sent them a message when I found out about the cannon, and they all should've gotten to safety before it fired. Now, I've gotta go. I'm sure you still have questions, but this is far from the time." Genoscythe turned back to his captive, but stopped when he heard the faint sound of a buster charging. He looked back at X to see the Hunter's buster aimed at his head.

"No, Commander. I'm tired of you dodging me, and I need to know exactly _who_ you are, _where _you've been, and _what _you're doing here." X said sternly. _Whoah... _Genoscythe thought. _This isn't the X I left behind so long ago. He really has been maturing nicely._

"I wish I could give you the full story, but you'll have to figure it out for yourself," Genoscythe said. "Sorry, but that's the way it goes, kiddo."

"There's another way this can go, and that way's up to my charged buster," X pointed out. "You've been gone too long, Commander. I'm sorry, but I can't trust you like I did before."

"No surprise there. Unfortunately, X, there's a third way this thing can go, and it's about to happen right now." The reploid stared up at X with his implacable red lenses, and as X was trying to decipher his words, a wave of numbness hit him in the ribs and paralyzed his systems. As much as he struggled, he could do naught but collapse onto his side while he watched Genoscythe pick up the struggling Trigger.

"Elysium will be coming for you soon, X," Genoscythe said, and then he disappeared in a burst of light. It wasn't an Instant Transit – there was no beam. He was simply swallowed by a white aura, and Trigger disappeared with him.

X fought through the stun shot, and he forced himself into a sitting position. He knew Genoscythe was long gone, so he looked to the clifftop where he had seen the first stun blast emanate from. He caught a glimpse of a sniper cam attachment poking out from a rock ledge, the kind typically used on helmets belonging to the 9th Ranger Division. What was more, he caught the helmet's color scheme – orange and black – before the rectangular green lens dipped below the rock ledge and vanished.

_That was a Maverick Hunter... _X realized. "What the hell were you doing here, Commander?" he asked the empty mountain answered him with silence. Genoscythe's last words resounded in his head instead. _Elysium is coming for me, _he thought. _The paradise I've been dreaming about. How? I haven't even begun to build it yet. _

X hadn't mentioned his plan to more than a handful of Hunters, and there was no way Genoscythe could have known about it. His dream of a safe haven for human and reploid co-existence was so far off, he'd almost completely put it out of his mind. Perhaps Genoscythe was telling him that the time was right to start putting his ideas into action. But then, why was it _coming_ for him? _As if it already exists._

Slowly, X made his way back to the camp. After a short hike, he made it to the rock alcove where the Maverick Hunters were resting, talking and mourning. As soon as he was in view, Zero approached him.

"X, we're gonna take a quick recharge and head to the ruins of HQ to see if we can pick anything outta the rubble," Zero informed him.

"I'm guessing we'll be traveling by city?"

"Afraid so, partner. You'd better rest up for now; you look like you've been through Hell."

* * *

Marx and Nephtis stood next to Vulcan Stinger's burnt-out mobile fortress, staring at the pile of rubble that was a towering skyscraper only minutes before.

"Look on the bright side," Marx said. "If I hadn't stolen your chaser and crashed it into that tank, it would've been crushed by all that craziness anyway."

"You certainly know how to make me feel better, don't you?" Nephtis muttered.

"Well, yeah. I actually put it to good use. And you would've been crushed too if you hadn't chased after me," he pointed out. "Why did you do that, by the way?"

"I wanted to get my prototype back," Nephtis said. She began walking back toward the HQ, and Marx fell into step behind her.

"And now you know where to start digging for parts."

"Seggfej."

"Japanese, English, Russian, French, or Spanish, please."

"Asshole."

"There you go."

"It just doesn't convey hatred quite as well as Hungarian."

"I've got no problem with that."

Nephtis merely grunted and kicked a discarded helmet as they made their way through the battlefield. Marx couldn't help but admire her for charging after him without a full set of armor, much less a weapon. As they walked, they passed a mangled Adion ride chaser lying next to a destroyed siege tank.

"That was my chaser," Nephtis said. "I couldn't outrun the guns on those tanks, so I had to ditch it. Now it's just so much scrap metal..."

"I'd hate to see what you could do with a full set of equipment and a brand-new ride," Marx said appreciatively. To his surprise, Nephtis rounded on him.

"Do you understand what this means to me? That was my home!" she yelled.

"It was mine, too," Marx huffed.

"For what, five days?" she snapped. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"I thought I'd finally found something worth holding onto!" he yelled. "Five days is a record for me, and I would've stayed a hell of a lot longer if the Mavs had given me the chance."

"Maybe I should thank them after all."

"Hey!" Marx said. Nephtis turned her head away. "Hey, stop for a second and listen to me."

"What?" she asked as she kept walking.

"What's your problem with me? Why do I feel like you hated me the moment you clapped eyes on me?"

"You've been an unrelenting, condescending jerk. You're useless in the hangar, you stole my ride chaser, and then you crashed it, probably because you didn't install its weapons correctly."

"No, this started before all that," Marx said, while his cheeks burned from the accusation. He had already forgotten that the destruction of the Zephyr was his fault, and he briefly wondered how she was able to figure it out so quickly. "You didn't have any reason to hate me back then, but you still did."

"It's not just you," she told him.

"So it's a sexist thing? You've got something against men?"

"I didn't say that. It's people in general."

Marx already had a fiery comeback prepared, but it sputtered out as he considered what she'd said. "People in general? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I want to be left alone!" she spat, each word flung from her mouth like thrown daggers. "But you won't take the hint!"

"There are easier ways to keep people away, y'know."

"Really? It was working great until you showed up!" Nephtis yelled, and she stomped on a dead Maverick for emphasis. They were joining the scattered crowds of Maverick Hunters milling about their destroyed base, all heading for the rubble at speeds ranging from urgent to shell-shocked. The nearest Hunters were starting to notice the helmetless beauty yelling at the angular blue-armored reploid, and Marx cast them a few self-conscious glances.

"I guess you're just gonna have to become a hermit now," he said.

"Or I could snap your neck and move on with my life."

"Or you could learn to put up with me, like a normal person."

"Why doesn't this work on you?" she asked, and she finally stopped with her foot on a wrecked ride armor. Marx stopped with her and raised a solitary eyebrow. "Are you _that_ stubborn?"

"You know, if you really wanted to be left alone, you shouldn't have asked me to work with you last night," he said, and his tone was no longer mocking. She exhaled, and her taut features started to relax.

"I was hoping to scare you away," she explained. "And I wanted an excuse to come to your room so I could get my book back."

"All you had to do was ask," he said.

"I'm not trying to lead you on, I just..." She abruptly pressed her palms against her forehead. "I don't want to have this discussion right now, Marx. We should be digging out what's left of our home."

With that, Nephtis regained her composure and stepped over the wreckage, heading toward the wide trench that led to the main hangar door. It was completely blocked by rubble, but Komodo and Raiden units were already clearing it away. If any Maverick Hunters were lucky enough to be near the bomb shelter under the hangar, they most likely survived and were now trapped beneath their former headquarters.

* * *

Commander Hector tore through the stifling, dim bomb shelter, searching the crowd of Hunters for Signas. He had to report Malakai's betrayal before the sleazy Hunter could cause any more damage. The entire building had already collapsed on top of them, and Hector found it hard to imagine how much more damage the traitor could do, but he didn't want to find out.

Muscling through the nervous, chattering HQ staff, Hector caught a glimpse of an officer's cap by the far wall, and he plowed straight into a combat-ready Hunter as he changed direction.

"Apologies," Hector muttered.

"Hey, boss man! How was the field trip?"

Hector froze, and as he slowly pivoted around, he tried to get a handle on the psychotic frenzy threatening to overcome him once more. Malakai stood wedged between two other Hunters, arms crossed and black armor unblemished.

"Where were you?" Hector growled. "Why weren't you backing up Leon?"

"Guess it didn't go well," Malakai said.

"We work as a team, you slimy piece of..." Hector wheezed as he fought back his rage. "Explain yourself. What were you doing while the rest of your division was being ambushed?"

"Hey, don't turn this into a guilt trip thing, I wouldn't have made that much of a difference. My aim's kinda shitty, remember?"

"Answer me, worm!" Hector roared. Suddenly, a wide circle of empty space expanded around him, and his fellow Hunters all stared at him worriedly.

"It's personal, boss man. Like to keep it a little confidential, y'know?"

"Fine," Hector said. "We'll have this discussion in a jail cell if you'd like."

"Okay," Malakai replied. "Except...which pile of melted scrap used to be the jail cells?"

"I'll hand you over to the NTDA if I have to."

"What is the problem, Commander Hector?" a new voice boomed from over the lion's shoulder. His sleek mane, already disheveled with fury, now stood on end.

"Commander Signas," Hector clipped, spinning on his heels and saluting. Signas returned the salute curtly before bowing his head and fixing an inscrutable stare on the 9th Commander. "I am disciplining one of my Hunters. He was AWOL this afternoon while we were on a mission in the wastes, and I have reason to believe he may be a Maverick spy."

"And here I thought we had something special, Commander," Malakai pouted.

"What evidence do you have to support this accusation?" Signas asked.

"The IT logs. We will be able to track Malakai's movements – "

"If he made an Instant Transit at all," Signas pointed out.

"Yes, but if he helped to orchestrate this attack, he must have traveled a considerable distance to get word to them."

"Unfortunately, Commander Hector, our HQ has just been completely demolished, as you can see by the fact that we are now buried in our own bomb shelter, and the IT logs you mentioned no longer exist."

"Very convenient," Hector rumbled, glaring at Malakai.

"Even if they didn't get blown to hell, they still wouldn't tell you anything," the ranger said. "I never left home base."

"I'd like to see how you plan on backing that statement up," his commander retorted.

"Oh, I'll bet you will," Malakai answered, flashing a jack-o-lantern grin. Before Hector could fly into another rage, a tremor shook the bunker, and a crack of light flooded into the room from between the mangled front doors. A nearby navigator wrestled with the controls, and she eventually managed to get the blast doors to partially slide open. A four-legged Raiden II armor stood in the remains of the hangar bay, gently powering down its drill and shining its headlights into the packed bomb shelter.

"Commander Hector, detain Malakai – "

"Aww, man..."

" – and come with me. Alia?"

"Yes, sir?" Alia piped up, squeezing through the throng while Hector violently slapped a pair of restraints on Malakai's wrists.

"We need to set up a temporary base while we wait for aid from our other branches. I suggest Cain Laboratories."

"Housing will be an issue, sir. It's about half the size of our curren – uh, our former HQ, and our reserves are already taking up most of that space."

"At the moment, we don't have any other options," Signas said. "Coordinate with the survivors, make sure we have room at Cain Labs for the Hunters with nowhere to go."

"Yes, sir," Alia said, and she joined the steadily streaming crowd as they filed out of the bomb shelter. Signas turned back to Hector, who had already begun his interrogation by grabbing the back of Malakai's head and shaking him vigorously.

"Commander Hector."

"...find out you were tampering with the base defenses, I'll – yes, Commander Signas?"

"I will be taking up office at Cain Labs, and I want you to escort Malakai there with me. There's no need to involve the NTDA with Maverick Hunter business."

"Of course, sir."

"We've been dealt a serious blow today, but we are still more than capable of handling our own affairs."

* * *

Tread Havoc watched the egg-shaped acclimation chamber from beneath a heavy metal brow. There were twelve unguided rockets loaded into his helmet alone, and sometimes, he could feel the weight of their pent-up fury beating down on his brain. It was usually a symptom of nerves, and at the moment, he was extremely nervous over what might emerge from that chamber.

"Integration at one hundred percent," a Maverick technician said in the darkness.

"All systems functioning above normal capacity," another responded. Havoc was sure that his head would explode.

"Open it," he ordered. The technicians walked up to the acclimation chamber, twitching only slightly from the effects of the Maverick Virus, and together, they pried the front hatch apart. Steam billowed out of the chamber, and three red lights gleamed in the gray mist.

"How long has it been?" a voice echoed out of the chamber.

"Do you remember anything?" Havoc asked it.

"Answer my question, or I'll break you open and feed you your insides."

"I thought you said he re-integrated," Havoc whispered to one of the technicians.

"**How long...**" the bellowing voice began, rattling the acclimation chamber. It lurched forward, scattering the clouds of steam and reaching out with a massive clawed arm. "**...have I been dead?**"

"Two years," Havoc said. The weapon ports hidden all over his body twitched in dread anticipation. The hulk crouching before him didn't move, and a single claw blade as long as his forearm hovered right above his neck.

"I don't remember," it said. "I don't remember anything after the colony."

"You've been deteriorating ever since the Eurasia incident. You spread yourself too thin. Too many dissolutions."

"But now..." it began, lowering its claw and standing straight. "I see and think as clearly as I did the day I was made."

"We defragmented a sample of your programming and re-integrated it with personality traits from your first rebellion," Havoc explained, setting his arsenal to standby.

"I've been taking my abilities for granted," he said. "I've been taking this planet for granted. Eurasia was a mistake. If we destroy this world, there will be nothing left for our kind to inherit."

"The integration was a success," one of the technicians breathed, wringing his hands together excitedly.

"I'm here now. Whatever is left of the Earth will be ours for the taking," the massive reploid announced, curling his raised claws into a fist.

"It's good to have you back, Sigma," Tread Havoc said.

**End of chapter 12**


	14. Chapter 13: Wipe Away the Tears

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 13: Wipe Away the Tears

By Genoscythe

AN: Things get a little messy past this point. I'm in the process of rewriting the earlier chapters of _Elysium Rising _to bring their quality up to the standards set later in the story, and while this is going on, there's going to be some discrepancies in characters, plotlines, and so on. If you're wondering what happens to Malakai, or whether the visions of X and Zero's dead lovers will have any bearing on the story, you'll be disappointed until I finish editing the next part of the storyline. If you don't mind, then by all means, read on.

* * *

Marx sat back on a hefty chunk of rubble, watching as cars pulled up to the ruins. He watched as human families welcomed back their reploid friends and drove them back to the comfort of Neo Tokyo City. He watched as lone Maverick Hunters took vehicles from the relatively undamaged hangar bay, and eventually disappear into the horizon. He also watched as Nephtis stood, much like he was, staring at the ground and avoiding anyone's gaze. Despite her outburst earlier, he felt his heart twang at the sight of her so distraught, and he regretted not being by her side.

The blonde woman who had accompanied the hunter commander earlier waved off some of her friends, then walked back to the thin gathering of hunters that had not yet been taken away. That group thinned even more as time went on. _Well, what now? _Marx asked himself. _I can't just stand here for the rest of my life..._Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He strode over to Nephtis.

"Waiting for someone?" He called out. She shook her head slowly. "How much money do you have?"

"Not enough for an apartment," she replied, seeming to already know why he had asked the question.

"Well...why don't we rent an apartment together? Pool our money, and all that. I don't have enough either."

"Not if you were the-" She paused and looked down at the meager handful of credits resting on her palm. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. She was silent for a long while, and Marx was about to turn his back when she said, "Okay, you win. I guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

"Hey, you could always pool with someone else if I make you _that _uncomfortable," he reminded her. She looked downcast.

"I don't _know _anyone else. You're the only person that's ever stuck with me for more time than you had to," she said. _I can't imagine _why Marx thought, but he came close to saying it out loud.

"You got a car?" He asked, and she replied with a shake of her head. He chuckled. "Don't suppose you have any spare change to buy us a ride?"

"One of the hunters might give us a free ride," Nephtis suggested. Marx nodded.

"I'll go ask around," he said, turning around and walking back to the gathering. On his way, he tripped over a piece of debris. Cursing, he lashed out at it with his foot, kicking the small piece of rubble into the air. However, as he kicked it, he heard a familiar warble emanate from beneath it. Cursing again, he ran forward and caught the rubble as it fell. He wiped off a layer of dust and ash, and his suspicions were confirmed. "Darius!" He exclaimed, and the piece of debris snapped to attention, shaking off loose bits of ash and dirt. Beneath what he had thought was rubble, Darius's saucer eyes reverently peered out at him. Laughing, Marx wiped off the majority of the ash from his robot companion's helmet and placed it on his head. Darius settled himself in Marx's dusty brown hair and retracted into his hat, not wanting to be bothered by any more noise and confusion.

Continuing his quest for transport into the city, Marx passed the blonde woman and the hunter commander.

"How did he get past the disturbance?" The commander asked the blonde.

"I don't know...but his frequency wasn't a standard one. Completely untraceable."

"Regardless, we owe him our lives. I just hope he doesn't plan on cashing in that debt anytime soon." The commander said. Blonde looked toward the ruins.

"We're in no shape to be handing out favors, sir," she agreed. Marx had stopped walking, becoming engrossed in his eavesdropping. Commander rested his head in his large hands.

"I never thought something like this could happen, Alia..." The Commander said in a voice soaked in confusion. Both had a faraway look on their faces, ones Marx recognized as those worn by all the other Maverick Hunters. Now, he was beginning to understand exactly what they were going through.

* * *

Even with Commander Genoscythe's reassurances, X was worried to death about Alia and the HQ personnel. His company had all split apart and taken their separate routes through the city, and now he walked along an inner city street with Zero, Axl, Selene and Endymion at his side. Selene appeared to be on the verge of tears, Axl trying desperately to comfort her. Zero wore his usual mask of apathy, and Endymion looked as emotionless as always. His eyes never moved from under the brim of his flared silver helmet, and throughout the entire trip never spoke a word. X glanced over at Selene, and wondered if all the personality had been put into her instead of her counterpart.

Suddenly, Zero ran forth and viciously kicked a stray can into the air, cursing after it as the small piece of tin soared down the street. "Damn it!" He yelled, his mask falling away. "We were _right _there! We could've done something!" He yelled at the can, which had only recently landed four blocks away. X held up a hand.

"Now you're starting to sound like me, Zero. Look, we did the best we could. Besides, I told you HQ's personnel are safe."

"And how the hell would you know!" Zero turned around, and X took a step back. The look in his friend's eyes was more than a little discomforting.

X stuttered. "It's...just my intuition acting up...Don't worry. We'll get back to HQ, we'll deal with this whole mess, and we'll strike back at the mavericks."

"How!"

"We can work out the details when we get there."

"We've got nothing left, X. Nothing but the equipment we've got right here. Tell me how we're gonna take on the mavericks with one beam saber and one buster!"

"What's gotten into you! All we've ever needed is one beam saber and one buster! You're not yourself, Zero," X had finally gotten through, and the fierce aura growing inside Zero began to fade into emptiness. He looked, as a man who forgot who he was, at his hands.

"What...what'd I do?" Zero asked slowly, and for the first time in his life X realized that Zero was truly scared.

"...you just kinda lost it for a second."

"Who'd I hurt?" X was surprised by Zero's question.

"Nobody's hurt, unless you wanna count that can you kicked."

Zero completely ignored X's joke. "Good," he said, but before X could even open his mouth, he added, "Don't ask." X nodded slowly, looking and feeling completely bewildered.

* * *

_"If you haven't already found out, Maverick Hunter HQ is destroyed, and Zero is in the inner city right now. I suggest you make your move now," _Pyre Mystic clutched the handheld comm. link tightly.

"...okay. Guess it's now or never. What happened to Stinger, Di?"

_"I thought you'd gotten over calling me 'Di'."_

"Come on, it's got a nice ring to it. Better than Diamond Edge, anyway," Mystic chided.

_"...whatever. Stinger is dead, for good this time. Unlike me, he was foolish enough to charge into battle with second-rate spare parts."_

"That's good. I don't want him going after you for leaving the battlefield."

_"You don't need to worry about me. Just focus on Zero, and remember everything I've taught you."_

"Get him into bed as soon as possible, and kill him in the same fashion. I remember," Mystic recited the instructions she had been given.

_"I'd never normally ruin another girl's fun, but killing him is your top priority. Use whatever chance you have."_

"Awwww..."

_"Oh, and just last week you were dreading the thought of having to sleep with him."_

"Well, I've started to warm up to the idea."

_"Har har. Find him, while he's still in the city!" _With that final remark, Diamond Edge cut the transmission and left Pyre standing alone in the market square. Tossing the comm. link into a disposal can, she hurried across the large, open expanse and down the street. In her tightly clenched hands, heat began to sift through her fingers. Why look for Zero when she could bring Zero to her?

* * *

"There it is again!" Axl called at the sound of an explosion in the distance.

"How the hell could there be _another _maverick attack? There can't be this many of them!" Zero growled.

"Hey, maybe it isn't the mavericks," Selene offered.

"Yeah, right," Zero snorted. He dashed forward, igniting his dash boosters and heading toward the sound of the explosions. In a moment, the rest followed him. A third explosion cut the silence in the air, and X knew they had to be getting close. Soon, X could smell the choking scent of fire, and he had to strain to keep up with Zero. The hunter was making double-time, probably because he was still uneasy from his earlier outburst.

The crimson hunter suddenly skidded around a corner, and as X followed him they came upon a long, barren street. Fire leapt out of anything that was flammable, and some buildings were missing large chunks of wall. The only living being on the street was a blonde girl, who was running toward them and calling for help. X looked around at the surrounding buildings, looking for any sign of a maverick attack. There appeared to be no rounds fired, and no sign of struggle. So, what was causing all this!

Suddenly, a massive chunk of neocrete slid loose off the top of a building, crashing directly on top of the reploid girl. Zero was moving in an instant, dashing at the piece of debris with his saber drawn. With one swipe, he cleaved the boulder in half horizontally. The top half slid off, and he hurled the other half down the street. In his fervor, Zero scooped the girl up in his arms and checked her over. When he was done, he looked to X.

"She's a reploid. She'll be fine, just got her processor shaken up too bad," The crimson hunter said, looking back at the girl in his arms. Her blonde hair was long and unbound, and small, barely visible freckles dotted her nose. She wore a skirt and button-up white shirt. X was beginning to think Zero wasn't checking her for injuries any more, so he cleared his throat to get his friend's attention. The blonde hunter's head snapped up, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. "We'd better keep her with us," he said.

"What! We've got enough trouble as it is," Axl remarked.

"Well, we can't just leave her here," Zero pointed out. "It's not safe yet," he turned to Endymion. "Search the area for mavs." In an instant, the silver Maverick Hunter faded into nothingness. The group waited, and soon enough Endymion re-appeared in roughly the same spot he had vacated.

"All clear. No sign of any maverick activity."

"There you go. It's safe now."

"I don't like this...check again, Endy."

"There's no need, Commander. I'm positive that no mavericks ever set foot near this street."

"Alright...we're taking her back with us."

"Zero...is this really a good idea?"

"Yeah, it is. And if you mention it again, I'll give you bigger things to worry about," Zero's tone ended the conversation, and the group continued on their course. After what felt like hours, Maverick Hunter HQ, or what was left of it, came into view. The hunters used what was left of their energy and dashed to the wreckage. As soon as they came upon the sad little gathering, X was tackled by Alia and locked in a death grip. Zero laid the girl on the ground and began searching for Signas, Selene and Axl collapsed to the ground, and Endymion stood motionless, as per usual.

When Alia was done crushing X with hugs, she helped him to his feet and began recounting everything that had happened since he had left the HQ. Of course, not before checking him over for injuries and asking how he felt in twenty different ways. X merely sighed and answered her repeated questions, as he did every time he came back from the battlefield. However, now it was his turn to ask questions as well.

"Are you _positive _that you're not hurt?" He asked Alia, not realizing how much he was starting to sound like her.

"Positive, X. Commander Genoscythe evacuated us long before the cannon fired," She replied.

"What about falling debris?" X pursued. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"I've got a Newsflash for ya, X. She's fine," Axl whispered from behind him, then sat back down with the giggling Selene. X sighed.

"No casualties?" He asked.

"Well...we lost a few in the battle outside. Considering the scale of the attack though, we did really well," Alia replied.

"Have you seen Marx?"

"That mercenary? He's alive. I called him when we were trapped under the HQ's ruins."

"Good. I want to see if I can get him promoted to a 17th division hunter," X said. Alia laughed.

"You're gonna have to bring that up with Signas, but he's still mourning the loss of his T.V. I doubt he'll wanna talk to anyone right now."

"Mourning 'cause he can't watch his soaps?"

"Yeah," Alia chuckled. "You haven't mentioned our Commander's 'dirty little secret' to anyone, did you?"

"Not a soul. I can't imagine what would happen to his popularity if people knew he was addicted to soap operas," X said lightheartedly. However, he noticed a figure standing behind Alia that he hadn't before. He leaned to the left to get a look at what it was, and saw Zero with a massive, triumphant grin on his face. The crimson hunter whirled around and ran back in the other direction.

"Hey, Signas! You'll never guess what I just heard!" Zero called out, running to the tall hunter commander. X looked to Alia.

"Oh _hell _no..." They both murmured.

**End of chapter 13**


	15. Chapter 14: Pick up the Pieces

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 14: Pick up the Pieces

By Genoscythe

Marx watched as Zero's borrowed hover truck receded into the distance. The sun had set long ago, and now that he and Nephtis had finally found an apartment cheap enough to rent, it was nearly morning. Picking up Darius by the brim of his helmet, he turned around and opened the door to the old concrete apartment complex with Nephtis on his heels. Their first stop was the landlord's office, which was located, almost hidden, under the large stairwell in the musty, barren lobby. Marx pushed open the landlord's door gently, fearing his reploid strength would burst the rusting hinges that held the door upright.

The landlord must have been asleep, because he was sitting bleary-eyed on a pitiful cot in the corner of the cramped office. Between the over-sized desk and pair of chairs on the opposite wall, there was hardly any empty space in the room at all. Still, Marx and Nephtis managed to squeeze through to stand before the landlord. "We heard you have a free room?" Marx inquired. The landlord, obviously a human from his imperfect skin and frequent coughing, nodded his shaggy head.

"Yeah, room 302. That alright with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Marx replied, starting to feel a bit uneasy. The landlord chuckled.

"No reason. Guess that question's a force o' habit," the landlord said. He got up, but then stopped to take another look at his guests. "You two're reploids, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" Now Marx was definitely starting to feel uneasy.

"Well, I don't got much of a problem with that, but this is an all-human building. We don't have your kind of…accommodations."

Nephtis narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean!?" She growled. The landlord held up his hands, fear growing in his eyes.

"No slight against you people. All I'm saying is we don't have any of those capsules you use. Don't have a source of reploid energy fluid, either," The landlord explained. Nephtis muttered something under her breath, then said no more.

"So…you said room 302? Are you gonna give us a key or something?"

"Patience, son. Give me your first month's payment, and we'll call it a deal," the landlord prompted. Marx and Nephtis slid their octagonal credit chips across the table, and the stocky human grabbed them in a pudgy hand. He made his way over to an ancient computer, possibly five years old, and fed the credits into the scanner. When all was done, he tossed two chips back at them, throwing the spent ones in the trash can. Next, he tossed them a key marked '302' on the handle. Marx had never seen a key quite like it before.

"Hey, what kind of key is this?" He asked.

"It's simple. Just put it in the hole in the doorknob and turn it."

"You don't have keycard readers?" Marx murmured, turning the small brass trinket over in his hand.

The landlord chuckled again. "Son, this building is made out of _con_crete. What makes you think we'd have keycards?"

"It's just…I've never seen a key like this before. Not even in my history databanks."

"These keys were used mostly before the twenty-first century. Nobody uses 'em anymore." The landlord explained. Marx nodded, taking a last look at the key before shoving it in the pocket of his jeans.

"Thanks," he said as they left the cramped office and ascended the stairs.

"We forgot to ask him about the room," Nephtis reminded Marx.

"Hey, when I see a 'for rent' sign and a reasonable amount of credits written on it, I don't give a damn about what the room's like," Marx responded.

"But shouldn't we have at least asked how many _beds _there are?"

"I'm sure it'll work out fine. We can adjust."

"You _would_ want to sleep in the same bed with me, wouldn't you!?" She said accusingly. Though the thought _had _crossed Marx's mind, he felt offended anyway.

"Where'd that come from? I just said we'd make adjustments! _Adjustments_, woman!"

"I know what you were thinking!"

"So you thought you should blow up in my face because you _presumed _to know what I was thinking?"

"I didn't presume anything. You're just like every other man out there. I can see it in your eyes."

"That sounds like one hell of a presumption to me," Marx retorted. Their argument had carried with them all the way down the hall atop the stairs, and a groggy, squat human pushed open one of the doors in the hallway.

"Stop yelling! Some people actually need sleep around here!" The man said in a hushed voice. Marx and Nephtis humbly apologized, but the moment the human had his back turned they were staring daggers at each other once more. However, they managed to refrain from speaking until they reached their apartment room on the third floor. There, Marx fumbled with the small bronze key that the landlord had given him, first putting the key in the wrong slot, then upside-down.

Finally, Nephtis snatched the key from his hand and fit the key into the doorknob perfectly. He stared at her in disbelief as she pushed the door open. "How'd you do that?"

"After you tried all the _wrong _ways, it wasn't that hard to figure it out," she replied. Marx merely grunted and stepped into the dark room. Immediately, he nearly gagged.

"What's that smell? Did we rent a trash dump or something?" He coughed. Nephtis seemed unaffected, save for a disgusted look on her face.

"It's the smell of humans. We might be the first reploids to set foot in this place," she explained.

"I never knew humans smelled _this _bad."

"You've never been around many humans then, have you?"

Marx shrugged. "Just two."

"Well, trust me. They _all _smell this bad," she said as they moved into the room. Marx flipped a light switch and the musty room was bathed in a rotten yellow glow from a single lightbulb wedged in the ceiling. As Nephtis feared, there was only a single bed, and a small bathroom to the right of the door. It looked more like a hotel room than an apartment.

"I guess you get what you pay for," Marx muttered, leaning against the wall. The concrete, not built to hold the weight of a reploid, cracked loudly. Marx jumped away from the wall in surprise.

"…whatever. Let's just get our stuff unpacked and shut down for the night before we break anything else," Nephtis suggested. Marx complied, dragging his bag into the room and setting it down opposite the bed. Without a word, he sat down next to his bags.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Shutting down. I'm giving you the bed," he told her. She gave him a confused look.

"…why?" She asked sincerely. He shrugged, giving her a 'don't know, don't care' look.

"Sometimes I can't even figure myself out," he explained, and with that, he lay back against the carpeted floor. Being a reploid, he wasn't terribly uncomfortable, but warm sheets were sounding pretty good. Still, the gentleman inside him wouldn't let him take the bed. Plus, he was damn tired of arguing. He closed his eyes, and heard the light switch being flicked off.

* * *

"So, Zero, what exactly _did _you say to Signas?" X asked his friend as they drove through the darkness of Neo Tokyo City. The crimson hunter shrugged. 

"Eh, you know. A little veiled hint here, a little blackmail there," Zero said with a devilish smirk.

"Blackmail!? For what?"

"He wouldn't transfer our new friend to the Cain Labs medical center. He said we should take her to a normal reploid hospital. Then I gave him a little proposition, and he said he'd work something out. He also said that he'll make both of your lives more miserable than Sigma ever did."

"What!?" Both X and Alia cried out. Alia's head was poking out from between the driver and passenger seat, as she was sitting alone in the back row. "Why us?"

"I let slip that it was you who was leaking the 'valuable information'. In all honesty though, I didn't think he'd take it so seriously," Zero replied. There was silence in the hover truck for a moment. Then, Alia's hands thrust out from behind the driver's seat and grabbed Zero's neck in a stranglehold.

"You dumbass!" She screamed, and X's eyes swelled. He had never seen Alia angry before. Suddenly, the truck began to swerve. Zero was having difficulty driving with a crazed reploid woman trying to snap off his neck.

"Not while I'm driving, woman! You _wanna_ crash?" Zero cried out. Slowly, Alia reluctantly drew away her hands.

"You haven't heard the last of this, Zero. You know Signas doesn't make idle threats!" Alia growled.

"Oh, come on. The old fart probably can't do any worse than a whoopee cushion on your operator's chair. No pun intended," Zero said disarmingly. Alia didn't seem to believe him, but she became quiet anyway. They drove on in silence until Zero's comm. link activated. Axl's high voice could be heard on the other line.

_"Hey Zero, we found a pretty good place. It's two bedroom, so Selene and Endy are taking one and you and me are taking the other."_

"Sounds good. Should I bother asking how much it was?"

_"It wasn't too bad. You've got a handful of credits left."_

"Great. Thanks, Axl," Zero said dryly.

_"It's your fault for refusing to get paid. Look, I'll send you the co-ordinates. Come on over after you drop off X and Alia."_

"Yes, sir," With that, the link was severed and Zero was left to finally focus on driving. Within moments, they arrived at a tall apartment complex made of smooth neocrete and glass. The towering white structure was infinitely more advanced than the apartments the hunters had dropped Marx and Nephtis off at, and was also infinitely more expensive. Fortunately, X had accumulated years of hunter's pay despite his constant refusals. Alia was similarly well-off, mostly because she never refused a paycheck.

"This looks like the place in the ad," X said to Zero as he slid open the door of the hover truck. He and Alia got out, and waved as Zero throttled the accelerator and blasted off down the street. X sighed. Without he and Alia in the car to nag him, Zero was free to do as he pleased. X pitied anyone who might get in his way.

"Wow. This place looks great," Alia remarked as they entered the lobby. A spiraling metal staircase curved along the inside of the building, leading to numerous hallways that led to individual rooms. Dotting the spacious lobby were couches and chairs, some of them occupied by reploids engrossed in a book or handheld game. X and Alia began to ascend the stairs, and when they reached a certain hallway X bid Alia farewell. She smiled and twirled about, walking quietly down the carpeted hallway toward her room.

X continued his trek up the stairs, until he reached the hallway marked 'E' above the entrance. X recalled the ad he had downloaded in his mind's eye. Seeing the room number again, he found it with ease. Beside the thin neocrete door, a card reader was set into the wall. X pulled an ID card from his pocket and slid it into the card reader. He waited, and the card was processed. Another card reader next to the first spit out his room key, and he swiped it through the lock on the door.

The door flashed open, and X flicked on a light switch. The clean, barren room before him held a couch, HV (holovision), and meager kitchen. He proceeded to the opposite wall, which was made of glass, and looked down the hallway. There, he saw a bedroom with both a bed and a regen capsule. Deeper inside the bedroom was a plain white bathroom, which matched the rest of the apartment.

X sat heavily on the bed, laying back and breathing in the cool air. The room was tasteless, but with any luck it would only be temporary.

* * *

Marx was aware that neither he nor Nephtis had any desire to shut down for the night. Though the light was off, he could _sense _her, curled up in the thick sheets of the bed which he was beginning to long for. He knew she was awake, but for what purpose he couldn't figure. Fortunately, it was she who broke the silence. 

"So…" She began, making sure that he was awake. "Since we're gonna have to be a little closer to each other, we might as well learn a little bit about one another." When she didn't hear a reply, she proceeded. "Like, where we're from, who created us, and all that."

"Like Osiris?" Marx inquired, waiting to see what kind of reaction he would get by mentioning the name.

"Yes…my brother…" She murmured, suddenly becoming distant. Marx rolled over. _Now _this was getting interesting.

"So there's some truth in the myth," Marx said. Nephtis sighed.

"Parts of my past are…embarrassing. I'd rather not go first."

"Ah, so you can invent the game, but you can't play it?" He expected a rebuttal, but he got none.

"Please…I really don't want to go first," she said in a surprisingly sweet voice. Marx was staring absent-mindedly at the base of the bed when suddenly she sat up and lay back down on her chest, her face peering over the edge of the sheets. "_Please,_" she implored, and her tone of voice and beautiful auburn eyes twisted a wrench in Marx's proverbial heart. With a sigh, he sat up and she folded her hands under her chin, looking for all the world like a school child ready for story time.

"Okay, you asked for it…" Marx began.

**End of Chapter 14**

AN: Uh oh, I seem to have lost almost everyone (except for Dragon Man and Zidet. You guys rock). I don't blame you, though. My updating schedule has been nothing short of horrendous. Well, being in school kinda kills my creative genes, so I'm afraid sporadic updates are gonna continue until summer. Plus, I now have Half-Life 2, which p0wnz. Seriously, if you have a good graphics card there is no excuse for not getting this game.


	16. Chapter 15: Start Again

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 15: Start Again

BGM: Metallica - Fuel

By Genoscythe

AN: How does it feel to come home from school, check your inbox, expect to have nothing in it, and find 5 new reviews waiting to be read? I'll tell ya, it feels pretty damn good. Thank you all for sticking with me, and I promise you'll get some answers in this chapter!

Also, there's some questions I need to answer from Phantom Kensai. Well, for starters, I had this idea in my head a long time before Megaman Zero came out (it first started when I read a short fanfic, the name of which I've lost in my memory and have desperately tried to remember), and when I finally felt like I was ready to write this thing, Megaman Zero had gone and messed with my timeline. Rather than turn the entire idea on its head, I decided to bypass the Zero series completely. I knew this would make some people upset, but that was something I accepted. I know I'll lose people who love the Zero series, but this is the way the story has panned out in my mind, and I can't imagine it any other way. Kensai also said that the Zero series has finality, and that Legends shouldn't have messed with that. However, the Legends series didn't mess with Zero's finality, as Zero came out much later than either of the Legends games did. So, if anything, Zero messed with Legends. I think that clears up everything, so thanks for stating your honest opinion, Kensai. Also, thanks for not outright flaming me. Oh yeah, and about Malakai. He'll be important, rest assured. Being in the 9th Ranger Division doesn't give him much screen time though, since he's often on separate assignments or different parts of Hunter HQ than that of the heroes. Not to mention, most of the characters aren't all that fond of him and tend to avoid him. You won't see all that much of him for at least a little while, but I definitely haven't forgotten him.

* * *

"Have you ever heard of a human scientist named Marek Belheim?" Marx asked Nephtis as she lay on the bed, rapt in attention. She shook her head. "Didn't think so. Not many people have. Anyway, he was my creator. He was a Russian scientist interested in reploids, so he moved here to study them. After all, Neo Tokyo _is _the birthplace of our species. Dr. Belheim, although a fairly successful scientist in Russia, was struggling to keep up with the reploid geniuses here. He ended up running a small junk shop with his son, Darius."

"Darius?" Nephtis asked, pointing to the inanimate metool sleeping in the corner.

"Darius." Marx nodded. "He was the first one to suggest that Dr. Belheim should get a reploid. Unfortunately, Belheim wasn't in any position to _buy _a reploid. So…he did the next best thing."

"He stole one?"

"Uh…so to speak. Replitech produces hundreds of reploids every day, and every now and then problems occur on the assembly lines. I was one such problem. There was a malfunction on one of the assembly lines. Whether Darius caused it or not, he never told me. What I do know is that the entire batch of reploids was damaged and considered useless by Replitech. They dumped them all, and Darius picked me out of the trash pile.

He and Dr. Belheim fixed me up and gave me some system upgrades. The good doctor also tested his new firewall system on me," Marx chuckled and looked down at himself. "I guess the old man was more of a genius than he gave himself credit for."

Nephtis giggled. "So you really _are _a piece of junk." He glared at her.

"You want me to finish the story, or not?" He asked sternly. She bobbed her head. "Okay. So, I for the most part, I stayed in the junk shop and helped run things. Neither Dr. Belheim or Darius could match a reploid's strength, so I mostly unloaded new shipments and carried spare parts. In fact, I was doing so well that Darius decided he could finally move to America. The only reason he stayed with his father was because he was worried about his safety, and with a reploid to protect him there was really no need. So Darius moved to America and became a biologist, leaving me and the old man to fend for ourselves." Marx said lightheartedly, though there was an underlying tone of resentment in his voice.

"What happened to Dr. Belheim?" Nephtis asked, and Marx held up a hand.

"I'm getting there. Everything was going fine…

* * *

_For a winter night, the sky was surprisingly clear. However, the chill that tore through the streets was even colder than Dr. Belheim had expected. At the sound of a distant explosion, he had stepped outside the junk shop to determine the source. The narrow street was silent and empty, and the echo of the explosion drifted on the wind. When all was quiet once more, he retreated inside to the safety of the junk shop. He walked through bins filled with odds and ends, unidentifiable metal scraps and the occasional reploid arm, until he arrived at the back of the shop._

_Through a door to the left, Marx sat in Dr. Belheim's office, typing something into the gauntlet of his newly modified combat armor. Being a cheap Replitech model only days before, Dr. Belheim had adjusted it to provide better reflex response and two built-in shoulder cannons. "How's the armor coming along?"_

_"It's a little tough adjusting. I can't get the visor calibrated to my systems."_

_"Let me see your helmet," Belheim offered, but as he was about to lift the helmet from Marx's dusty-haired head, another explosion ripped through the silence. This time it was much closer._

_"What the hell…" Marx murmured, beginning to stand. Belheim gently urged him to sit down again._

_"Let me see what's happening," he said, turning about. However, before he had left the small office, Marx was at his heels._

_"No way, old man. I'm the one made out of high-density metal alloy, not you." _

_---_

_Marx pushed Belheim out of the way and walked to the front of the store. As he pressed his face against the glass window, he could hear the roar of a gasoline engine, and a moment later something skidded around the street corner outside. As it sped down the street toward them, he recognized it from the recent news report. It was Ride Boarski, leader of the Red Storm bike gang. A few days ago, he had appeared on the Maverick Hunters' most wanted list, and Marx had vaguely wondered what the Maverick Hunters would be doing messing with part of the Red Alert syndicate._

_Boarski roared past them and on down the street, but behind him came his gang. Reploids modeled after pigs rode atop old-fashioned looking motorcycles, one driver and one on the back, shooting automatic weapons at something in the distance. That something was nearing them rapidly, and Marx saw that they were Maverick Hunter ride chasers. The Maverick Hunters were firing personal sidearms, stronger but far less useful than the Red Storm's automatic weapons, at least in a motorcycle chase._

_Marx flinched as one of the Red Storm riders roared dangerously close to the window, and this brush with disaster reminded him that Dr. Belheim was standing directly behind him. Marx opened his mouth to yell at his creator, but his words were drowned out by an explosion outside. Marx glanced back to see a Maverick Hunter's ride chaser being catapulted into the air. With a horror that sparked action into his limbs, he realized the airborne ride chaser was heading in their direction. The left stabilizer had been destroyed, and the vehicle was propelled in an awkward fashion into the upper level of their building._

_Marx grabbed his father and dashed, lifting the man as easily as a cardboard box as the building shook from the impact. However, the entire world suddenly crashed down on his head and buried him under a pile of flames and debris. Marx shook off the large chunks of concrete and metal, completely disoriented. To his left, the remains of the ride chaser smoldered, and its Maverick Hunter rider lay next to it._

_The hunter was still alive, so naturally when Marx found Dr. Belheim buried under a massive pile of rubble, he called for help. To Marx's surprise and anguish, the Maverick Hunter rose, dusted himself off, and started for the large gash where the front window used to be. "Hey! I need help here! Maverick Hunter! There's an injured human over here!" His cries fell on deaf ears, so angrily, he grabbed the hunter by the shoulder and pulled him to where Belheim lay._

_"...the hell? Let go, dumbass!" The hunter roared angrily._

_"Didn't you hear me? I can't help this human by myself. Don't you have a medkit or something?" Marx asked desperately. The hunter merely snorted derisively and made for the exit again. Marx, grabbed him again, but this time the hunter rounded on him with the butt of his sidearm._

_"Touch me again, and you'll _wish _you were him!" The hunter gestured toward Belheim. The thought that he would have to free Belheim himself finally dawned on Marx. Frantically, he ran back to the debris pile, while the Maverick Hunter left to continue pursuing the Red Storm. Marx dug his hands underneath huge chunks of concrete and lifted, hearing the pistons and joints in his arms whirr unhappily. He forced a large chunk of rubble off of Belheim's prone form, but that only caused more of the ceiling to cave in._

_He dug madly at the rubble, eyes fixed on Dr. Belheim's lifeless face caked in dust and blood. He felt as if he were digging for an eternity. He felt time slip through his fingers, mimicking the dust that clouded the floor. Finally, he realized that it was a lost cause. Belheim was dead, and he had nobody to thank but that reckless Maverick Hunter. With a new fire in his eyes and renewed vigor pumping through his body, he stood and ran out the entrance into the midst of the firefight. The vehicles were abandoned, and now open war was being waged on the streets._

_Red Storm hid behind their motorcycles while the hunters used objects like cars for cover. The fight was completely chaotic, with warriors running, slashing, and shooting in every direction. Marx searched quickly for the hunter he sought, and found him quickly enough. He wore deep red armor, and a lavishly horned helmet with gold trim. He was chewing through the Red Storm with a gaudy automatic pistol to match his armor._

_Marx, being unable to use his visor, tackled a nearby Red Storm that had come close to him without realizing it. Grabbing the pig reploid's automatic rifle and unloading it into the pig's face, he took the gun and ran into the midst of the chaos. The battle was thinning, as there was a relatively small amount of combatants, so Marx wove through the combat easily. He soon found himself behind the crimson Maverick Hunter, and he contemplated shooting him in the back. Then, he remembered that he wanted some answers._

_Marx pulled the trigger, and automatic rounds tore apart the Maverick Hunter's shooting arm. The hunter howled, and Marx grabbed his head and thrust him into the ground. He grabbed the automatic pistol from the still-twitching arm on the ground and held it against the hunter's head. "Why?" Marx asked simply. "Why'd you leave him?"_

_"What? You!" The hunter roared in angst, but Marx had him pinned too hard for him to escape._

_"Isn't it your _**duty **_to protect humans? Isn't that what the Maverick Hunters are? Protectors for the humans?"_

_"Protectors...hell. Maverick Hunters are hunters, pure and simple. We aren't here to protect nobody..." The Maverick Hunter grunted, defiance in his voice._

_"He's dead. My creator's dead. You have any idea how that feels?"_

_"This is your problem, not mine. Lemme go, alright?" Marx had had enough. He flipped the gun over in his hand, and smashed the handle into the back of the Maverick Hunter's helmet. Four times he struck, and then stopped momentarily._

_"He didn't get a slow death. Why should you?" Marx asked rhetorically, his emotions overcoming him. After that, he wasn't sure how many times he had hit the Maverick Hunter. All he knew was that it was enough. Enough to quench his bloodlust, but not enough to fill the empty void that was filling his heart.

* * *

_

"...so, I was arrested for murdering the Maverick Hunter. Due to the...circumstances...of the murder, my sentence was somewhat shortened. I was put into cryo-stasis until a short time after the Red Alert syndicate was destroyed. After I was re-awoken, I took the belongings the Defense Force had kept for me, and started life as a freelance mercenary. In fact, I was only on my third job when you hunters captured me," Marx's story came to a close. Nephtis's eyes had a thoughtful, faraway look about them. For a time, neither of them said a word.

"I...misunderstood a few things about you." She finally said. "I misunderstand a lot of people. So...I'm sorry," she extended her hand, and at first Marx had no idea how to react. "Please?" She asked sincerely. Marx couldn't believe it. This was the _third _time in one day that she had said please(and Marx guessed it was the third time she'd _ever _said please). So, he extended his own hand and they shook, making Marx's skin tingle. She retracted her hand, and sat back on the bed.

"So...we're even? A fresh start?"

"Yeah."

"Well, goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," Nephtis pulled the sheets around her once more, and Marx settled back onto the floor. He was just about to shut down when he remembered something.

"Hey! You never told me your story!"

"Uh...what do you mean?"

"I just spilled my guts, woman! Now it's your turn!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"This isn't fair!"

"Good_night_, Marx."

"Hey, don't try to silence me!"

"Don't worry, it's not possible."

"Stop changing the subject."

"Stop harassing me!"

"This isn't harassment! C'mon, be fair for once, here."

"If you don't shut down by the count of three, I'll shut you down myself."

"Don't think you're getting away with this."

"1"

"You've gotta tell me sometime."

"2"

"Why not? If it's embarrassing, it can't be any worse than what I just tol-"

"3" Marx wisely shut his mouth and repositioned himself to make it look like he had shut down. Sighing, he knew that he wasn't getting anything else out of her tonight. However, before he shut down, his thoughts drifted to Belheim. The kind, yet stern man that had been gracious enough to grant him life. The man who, in death, looked more peaceful than he ever had while still alive.

**End of Chapter 15**

AN: Just bloody wonderful. I'm addicted to World of Warcraft now, even more than I was with Half-Life(still the best fps evar). So...if you want to blame the late update on something, blame it on Blizzard for being such a damn good video game company. Then blame it on me for listening to my friend, who got me addicted in the first place. Speaking of World of Warcraft, if you're a Horde player on the Kil'Jaedin server, you can find me on my warrior(Camelman), my rogue(Genoscythe), or my Druid(Ozric) in case you want to talk or make use of my l33t skillz.

Also, if anyone wants Genoscythe sprites(ooh, ahhh), then tell me. If you're e-mail address isn't on your profile, then you'll have to tell me that too. These sprites were made before my writing career even started, but considering that and considering I made them in MS Paint, I think I did pretty good. See for yourself if you'd like. Merry Christmas, and have a happy whatever else there is. I dunno. It's two o'clock right now. I don't know anything.


	17. Chapter 16: Gifts and Curses

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Chapter 16: Gifts and Curses

By Genoscythe

Well, it wasn't a dump. It wasn't exactly Buckingham Palace #3 either. Zero surveyed the low-ceilinged room with the smallest hint of contempt in his eyes. The walls were a dull brown, and the soft carpet matched. Dual sets of chairs and couches sat at opposite sides of the room, making Zero wonder if it had been originally two rooms, but the wall in-between had been demolished to sell it as a two-bedroom. At least there were two modern video screens hanging from the ceiling, and he heard from Axl that there were regen capsules as well as beds. Even with its cheap exterior, it could be worse.

He spotted Axl and Selene on the balcony, talking animatedly. Zero chuckled. They reminded him of when he was younger, when he had first met Iris. Then again, everything reminded him of his youth these days. He pressed his palm against his forehead. "Damnit, I can't believe how old I feel..." he flopped onto a chair, and the human-built contraption groaned under the ¾ tons of his weight. God, he hoped the beds weren't made for humans.

* * *

X looked around, a growing sense of panic in his chest. He had shut down for the night, and the next thing he knew, he was _here_. Wherever here was. He couldn't restart his systems, as he had tried already. He couldn't move his legs, either. He was stuck in a dream, of all places...

X was surrounded by walls of marble, a violet sky hanging overhead. Odd plants hung from the walls, and across from him, a wall fountain shaped like an eye spat water into a spherical bowl below. It all seemed so old...and yet, to his left, a strangely modern door laden with red spheres stuck out of the marble. A wave of recognition washed over him when he saw the door.

_This is..._

"Elysium. How's it look?" A familiar voice finished his thoughts for him. Seconds later, the doorway parted and a man with deep brown skin and apple-green hair stepped through. With a wave of the man's hand, the door slid shut.

"It's a little too organic for my taste," X growled. Trapped in his own body, he felt his anger rising. "What the hell is all this for, Genoscythe?" The man laughed.

"Genoscythe. I like that name. Much more than Purifier Delta...but I digress. What's this for, you ask? Take a seat, first." Genoscythe waved his hand again, and X felt himself sitting down on a marble bench. Genoscythe sat on one opposite him. "This isn't real, let me just make that clear right now. What I'm doing is connecting my processor to yours so I can talk with you in a simulated environment. Of course, it's an environment that _I _control."

"So you've hacked into my brain?" X asked.

"To be blunt, yeah. Every reploid (and human, for that matter) emits some sort of brain wave. For humans, this wave is far different from a reploid's, but we can likewise communicate with them in the same way. The human assumes it's a dream, a message, a prophecy, whatever. Anyway, we use this technique of penetrating someone's mind to...further scientific advances."

Now it was X's turn to laugh. "You manipulate humans to your own ends? You and the rest of these 'purifiers'?"

"Not just the purifiers, X. Elysium is far more complicated than you seem to think. Now, if you'll stop interrupting, I'll explain it all." Genoscythe said. X was silent. "Good. So, we at Elysium had waited patiently for humanity to develop their culture and their technology, but when we realized that you were moving too slowly, we played our hand. We infiltrated the brain of a human. What was his name..." Genoscythe looked to the ground, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah! I remember now. His name was Thomas Light."

"Say what!?" X exclaimed, shock drowning out his frustration.

"We told him everything about our design. We gave him the key to unlocking robotics. And the poor fool didn't even know it."

"Hey! Don't you _dare _talk about Dad like that!"

"My god, X. You sound like a little kid. And technically, _we're _your parents. We gave Dr. Light your blueprints. Of course, he didn't know anything about us. He and everyone else thought the answer came to him in a dream."

"Why? Why pull all these strings?"

"I assure you, it was for your own good. Now, on the other hand, there was the other one...Albert Wily."

"He stole my father's plans for the original robot series. Are you telling me you made him do that, too?"

"Not us. I'll get to all that in a second, you have no _idea _how hard it is to explain all this. Anyway, as you know, Dr. Light's original Mega Man robot was an unmatched war machine. You also know that he was a piece of crap compared to you. And you, my friend, aren't nearly strong enough to face up to one of their purifiers."

"Who's 'they'?"

"I'm getting to that, damnit! Look, we were afraid they would launch the Carbon Re-initialization Program, or worse, commit genocide themselves. In either event, we would need some extra help. We 'enlisted' the humans to produce reploids, ostensibly for us to use in the fight against them. Trust me, it was for your own good."

"Alright. _Now _tell me who 'they' are. I can't follow what you're saying unless I know what you're talking about."

"Okay...A long time ago, much longer than the human race was created, we were created by a race of beings much like the humans. Of course, they were far more intelligent and possessed different physical qualities than those apes you protect. However, for all their intelligence, they became embroiled in a battle with their own machines. It was a battle that destroyed their entire planet, and their entire species.

Several individuals saw this event coming long before it happened, and they constructed a new breed of machines inside a space colony. This colony will be later known as Elysium, and it is the last remaining shred of the Creators' legacy. We were given orders to spread life to other planets. Some of our ventures were successful...others weren't. Our biggest success was here, on Earth, where the climate and biology was close to that of the Creators' homeworld."

"I didn't ask for a history lesson," X growled.

"For the last time, this is _really _freaking complicated. Let me explain in full. Okay? Okay. So, we spread the genes of the Creators throughout various species of primate. However, the dominant reptilian race was getting in the way. They had some idea of what we were doing, and were killing off the primates that we were modifying."

"The dinosaurs? You're kidding, right?"

"The saurian are much smarter than your humans gave them credit for. The bones _they _discovered were from earlier stages of evolutional development. The saurian that were impeding us were a much different breed. Anyway, as they were getting in our way, we annihilated them. Completely and utterly destroyed them. _That's _why there aren't any bones to show the saurian's later stages of development."

"This must be a dream..." X muttered, shocked and chilled to the proverbial bone.

"It is...sorta. I can assure you though, all this information I'm giving you is quite true. Speaking of, I'm almost done here. The humans grew, and we watched patiently in orbit. After finding such a perfect planet, we didn't need to bother with the other colonies we had created. Development was slow, but every now and then we gave them a little helping hand. After all, our mission was to re-create the beings that gave us life, and the humans we so valiantly protect were running behind on their cultural schedule. People like Alexander the Great, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Light, were all key to creating a species fit to fill our creators' shoes.

Within the last century, problems have arisen within our own order. Though our judgment is infallible, our intelligence on par with our creators, some of us believed humanity to be a failure. After witnessing the disaster that you call World War Two, several of our key leaders decided that humanity could not be trusted with the power we'd given them. They proposed that we activate the Carbon Re-initialization Program."

"What's-"

"That?" Genoscythe finished for X. "That's a failsafe mechanism built into the Earth itself. In case humanity ever really _did _get out of hand, hundreds of biomechanical islands would surface around the globe. On each island, a tower was constructed that, if the program were ever activated, would seek the nearest life signs and irradiate the entire area in deadly particles that you don't have a name for yet. All I can say is that it means instant vaporization for whatever's in the target area."

"Hundreds of islands...all with a target area...this program is designed to wipe out all of the humans on Earth?"

"In a sense, yeah. However, we wouldn't want all that work to go to waste, would we? Each island contains four unborn human embryos, the human genetic code, and an information center to supplant all the info the new human race will need. So, after all is said and done, there will be humans left to re-populate whatever land masses are left."

"...and these leaders of yours...the ones that think the humans are a failure. They want to start this thing up?"

"Of course. I've even had thoughts about it myself, but when it all comes down to it, we'll only have to repeat the program again if we do it now. Humanity will never learn that way. It's amazing that so many of the Mother Units can't see it though..."

"What's stopping these all-important leaders from activating the program?"

"Us. There are those units that think like I do, and our one ace card is that the Master Unit is on our side. Without him, the Carbon Re-initialization Program can't start. So now, Elysium is split in half. The opposing side knows that they can't destroy the master, and we can't destroy their leaders either. We're almost evenly matched. So, the fight carried from Elysium to Earth. Whereas we implanted the blueprints for you, a defender of the human race, the others sought to create their own agent, with the help of Dr. Wily. I believe you know who that agent is..."

"Zero?"

"Bingo. Not only was he built to be your match, but he was also designed as a carrier for a computer virus. The 'Sigma Virus', as you call it."

"So...all along, Elysium was behind it all? The puppet masters, pulling the strings and playing their senseless war games?" X could hardly believe it all. This information shattered the foundations of history, and who would believe him? Nobody. How could he find proof that a dream actually happened?

"Look..._nothing _we have done is senseless. Even the enemies have some reasoning to their goals. I know this is pretty tough to take all at once, but this is what you wanted, isn't it? You wanted answers? I've given them to you. Now, I think I'd better wrap up this little talk...I dunno how much more information your processor can catalogue before it overloads. In short, we need your help. That's why we had you created in the first place. If you truly want to help the humans, then help us. Come to Elysium, and stop the Maverick Virus at its source."

"How!? Where's Elysium now?"

Genoscythe laughed. "It's here. Right here. Trust me, you won't have to look far." And with that, Genoscythe snapped his fingers and X awoke, finding himself on his knees on the apartment floor. He felt dizzy, drenched in sweat. His head was hammering with pain, and he felt like falling over. This was big. Too big for him. He had taken up the task of defending humanity before, but now...this was more than just humanity. This information changed his entire view of the world; his interpretation of history.

How many human accomplishments were really achieved by humans? What was the extent of Elysium's influence? And how could he walk the streets again without the feeling of being watched, monitored, diagnosed? Most pressing of all: How should he explain it to the others? How _could _he explain it to the others?

Suddenly, a heavy knock on the door intruded on his thoughts. Shakily, he moved to open the door. As he did so, a bedraggled Alia stumbled through the doorway and collapsed on the floor. She was still in her loose nightgown, her hair askew. Slowly, she turned over and looked up at X, who had fixed her with a gaze of utter astonishment.

"Where the **HELL **have you been!?" Alia gasped. "Douglas has been running me ragged all morning! Says he's got some kind of upgrades for you or something, but he couldn't reach you. He called me every five minutes for three hours until I finally unplugged the phone," Her voice sounded hoarse, no doubt from yelling at Douglas. X was unsure if he should burst out laughing, or remain confused.

"Why was he calling you? You said the upgrades were for me," X asked, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"He said you wouldn't even pick up. He tried you on your personal comm. and everything."

"So he called you for _three straight hours_?"

"Pretty much," Alia groaned, rubbing a palm against her temple. "And that's not the worst of it. _He came over_. To my _apartment_. To bother _me_. Of course, it's you he wants, but why in the world would he try to bother _you_?"

X put on a mocking thoughtful expression. "I'll bet you're not very comfortable down there," He said, offering her a hand. She took it in her slender hands and he pulled her to her feet. "Need some coffee?" He asked her. She nodded groggily, adjusting her nightgown.

Alia sat down at a white metal table next to the kitchen that was completely devoid of hard edges. As X prepared the coffee, she looked at her own reflection in the spotless table. "God, I'm a mess. Sorry about this..."

X chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You're one of the few people I know who can still manage to look good in the morning," He said lightheartedly, though he really meant it.

"Thanks, X." She managed to conceal a blush from him while he busied himself in the kitchen. "I'd be fine if it weren't for Douglas driving me up the walls."

"Don't worry, I know exactly where you're coming from," X said, setting down a cup in front of her. Immediately, she snatched it and drank greedily. She set it down, emptied, before X even raised the hot liquid to his lips. With a smile, he set his own cup down. "Seconds?" She nodded enthusiastically, goofy grin splayed across her face. He slid his cup across the table and went to make another cup for himself, trying to put Genoscythe's message as far away from his mind as possible. Merely thinking of Alia's beautiful face was enough to clear his mind of his other troubling thoughts.

By the time he sat down, Alia had slowed a bit. She now sipped thoughtfully on the white alloy cup, staring again at her reflection on the table. He grinned at her. "Y'know, you could start a new fashion," he said. In truth, the untamed hair and the nightgown that repeatedly slipped off her slender shoulders was somehow alluring. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"What ever happened to Douglas? You said he came over here," X said, remembering about the persistent little mechanic.

Alia shuddered at hearing his name. "I finally got him to go back to Cain Labs after I threatened to jam a plug down his throat." X burst out laughing, almost choking on the coffee.

"You actually said that?"

"Check with Douglas."

"Those exact words?"

"Yup," Alia beamed. "And I would've done it, too." X shook his mug in her direction.

"You're not the kind of girl I want to mess with. Help me remember that," he said.

"Oh? If that's the case, then bring me another cup! I lost three hours of sleep, and two cups of coffee isn't gonna get back all that lost energy!"

"You've got all the energy you need," X muttered, getting up. However, as he turned his back, Alia leapt out of her seat, tackled him and pinned him to the ground.

"You asked for it," She growled, pinning his arms behind his back with one hand and gripping his neck with the other. "Now, repeat after me: Women are better than men at everything we do."

"What!? Sure, you're better at _some _things..."

"_Everything_," her lips were right next to his ear, and he felt his pulse quicken. However, unbeknownst to her, he was giving her plenty of slack. Now, he brought forth his full strength and broke her hold, throwing her off him and pouncing on her in the same moment.

"What can I say? I'd never tell a lie," he said with a spreading grin on his face. Alia squirmed briefly.

"Uh...can we call it a tie?" She asked sweetly, giving him her patented puppy dog eyes.

"No deal. Men win this round," he said triumphantly. She squirmed beneath him again, to no avail.

"Okay, okay...men win this round..." she said begrudgingly. He released her wrists and rolled off of her. She chuckled. "You have no idea how hard it was to say that." X smiled and laughed with her. _Think happy thoughts. Don't think about Elysium. Don't think about Genoscythe. Think about Alia. Think about her lips next to your ear. Think about your skin touching hers. Don't think about the danger. Don't think about humanity. Don't think about the inevitable. Don't think._

**End of Chapter 16**

AN: Thanks for the reviews, here's your chapter, now I'm off to bed. I've **gotta **stop finishing these chapters so late...


	18. Chapter 17: Arachnophobia

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 4: Intercept Maverick Bio-weapon

Chapter 17: Arachnophobia

By Genoscythe

**Mission 4: Intercept Maverick Bio-weapon**

**Maverick Leader: Kinetic Arachno**

**Main Objective: Eliminate target and retrieve data sample**

**Secondary Objective: Minimize human casualties**

**Commence Operation

* * *

**

The morning was progressing smoothly, at least for awhile. X was busy unpacking his belongings, as he had shut down as soon as he could the night before. Alia never left his room, instead opting to give the built-in TV a test run. She was sprawled lazily on the couch, watching a morning news show out of one eye as X moved back and forth, hefting large boxes across the apartment.

"...and in less recent news, the damage report has come in from Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Just yesterday, the entire building was leveled by a massive cannon situated in the northeastern mountains. The weapon is being dismantled and examined by Neo Tokyo officials, and we'll bring you the full report by tomorrow. What we know now is that the Maverick Hunters have been dealt a massive blow, and resources are questioning their current combat abilitie-" The TV was suddenly silenced when Alia flicked off the power.

"Tell me something I don't know," she mumbled, burying her face into a couch pillow. X poked his head in through a doorway to the right of the living room.

"Why don't you shut down for a little bit? I'll bet you'll feel better afterward," he offered.

"No thanks...I'm not in the mood..." Alia's voice wafted through the air. "Next time I see that little green pukestain...I really will shove a plug down his throat. Or maybe I'll stick it up his-"

"Hey, he didn't mean any harm, did he?"

"Oh, come on. Why would he call me for three straight hours if he didn't mean any harm!?"

"He just gets a little carried away with his work," X said cheerfully, hanging up a shirt in his new closet. He heard Alia roll off the couch and flop onto the floor. A second later, he turned around to see her standing in the doorway.

"He's just sadistic, that's what he is," she muttered. "Mind if I grab another coffee?"

"Sure. Just remember I'm gonna start charging soon."

"Affirmative, sir," Alia walked groggily into the kitchen and started up the coffee maker. X left the bedroom and sat down on the couch to take a breather. However, his momentary peace was shattered when the door flew open and Zero walked into the room, blonde ponytail wavering behind him. He immediately spotted X on the couch.

"Hey part...ner?" He trailed off when he saw the mask of surprise and irritation on X's face.

"Don't you knock!?" X reprimanded the blonde reploid.

"Mere formalities, friend," Zero said as he sat down on the other end of the couch. "Besides, I know I'm always welcome at your place."

"_Not always..._" X whispered, and he jerked his head toward the kitchen where Alia paced about the kitchen, singing several notes off key while she waited for her coffee to finish. Zero flashed X a big grin.

"I got it," he said, and he leaned over and elbowed X in the ribs. "So...how late did ya stay up last night?"

"Say what?" X fixed him a quizzical gaze. Zero jerked his head toward the kitchen in the same fashion that X had. The brown-haired reploid shook his head. "I'm still not getting it. I fell asleep the second I got here. What's that got to do with Alia?"

Zero sighed, rubbing his forehead. "X, I know you're not this naïve. If you went to sleep when you got home, then what's _she _doing here?"

"She came over this morning 'cause Douglas was bothering her," X said, but he suddenly flushed when he realized what Zero was talking about. "Where do you get these ideas from!?"

"X...she's in _your_ apartment. Drinking _your _coffee. What do you think it looks like to an outsider?"

"I still can't believe you'd immediately assume that we-" X shut his mouth when he saw Alia walking back from the kitchen.

"Oh, come on. You're mature enough to say it, aren't you?" Unfortunately, Zero's back was facing the kitchen. X punched him sharply in the stomach to alert him of Alia's arrival, but that merely caused Zero to start screaming obscenities. Soon enough though, Zero's sense of impending doom kicked in and he turned around to face the ragged-looking Alia.

"Having fun, boys?" She asked them with a note of annoyance in her voice.

"Hello to you, too," Zero responded, rubbing his wounded stomach. Gruffly, X shoved Zero to the opposite end of the couch to make room for Alia. She sat down, pressing herself against X to avoid any physical contact with Zero. The blonde reploid looked at her skeptically. "So, I guess you're still mad because I-"

"_Yes_," she replied before he could finish. "I'm afraid to go to work now, thanks to you. Signas could've set traps anywhere for us." She took a lengthy sip from the coffee cup. X figured she didn't plan on staying too long with Zero around.

"Well, if I find any land mines in the hallway, I'll be sure to tell you about it," Zero said sarcastically. "I don't get what you're worried about. Signas has too much on his plate to follow up on some petty revenge scheme." Alia downed the rest of her coffee and got up.

"I've gotta go get dressed," Alia said, leaving the cup on the nearest kitchen counter and moving to the door. "I'll be back when I'm done, ok X?" The unspoken words were: _"And he'd better not still be here by then."_ She whisked the door open and walked out, letting the air blow the door shut behind her. As soon as the apartment had settled again, Zero let out a long sigh.

"And here I thought you had _finally _made a move on her..." The blonde reploid said quietly. "There's gotta be a reason for it, right? I mean, I know you're not _that _naïve." X nodded. "So? Why haven't you made a move yet?"

"It wouldn't feel right. I'm sure of it. I was with Calliope for so long, I couldn't imagine loving anyone else."

Zero gave a mirthless chuckle. "I know how that feels..."

"You're right. I'm not that naïve. I'm just torn between keeping Calliope's memory alive and moving on. I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"You've had over ten years to move on. What's the holdup?"

"She was like a part of me, and she still is. I feel like if I started a relationship with Alia, all that's left of Calliope will fade away." X felt fresh memories of his first love rising within him. They had been together since the Second Maverick War, even before he had become Commander of the 17th division. "We never separated, never got into an argument. We were perfect for each other. Can you really blame me for wanting to hold onto that, even after ten years?"

"X..." Zero began. His comrade sighed. "You know what I'm about to say, don't you?"

" 'Calliope wouldn't want you to suffer because of her. I'm sure she would want you to move on.' Is that it?"

"Yeah, something like that," Zero murmured.

"I know...it's just hard..." X's eyes appeared glazed over, as if in a trance.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Alia's waited for you this long. I'll bet she'll wait longer." Zero reassured him. "Speaking of Alia, she'll probably be back soon." Zero got up and moved to the window behind the couch. X gave him a quizzical stare.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked as Zero opened the window all the way.

"Making my escape," Zero said, flashing a grin.

"That's what doors are for."

"No good," he said, perched on the windowsill. "I hear her coming down the hallway, and if you picked up on those hidden meanings like I did, then you know she won't be happy to find me still here." X sharpened his audio receptors, and he could indeed hear faint footsteps down the hall. He looked back at Zero, but the windowsill was empty. He moved over to the window and stuck his head out. To his horror, Zero had landed on a balcony several stories below, right next to a couple sitting in lawn chairs. From his viewpoint, it seemed like Zero and the couple were arguing. It also seemed like a very one-sided argument, with Zero constantly bowing and shaking his head.

Finally, Zero cast an angry glance up at X that said: _"You owe me for this,"_ and he jumped off the balcony with the couple yelling angrily at his back. X immediately jerked his head back through the window when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to see Alia in a white lace tank top and black skirt, brown duffel bag around her shoulder. She gave him a heartwarming smile when she noticed that Zero was no longer nearby.

"I'm heading over to Cain Labs. Wanna join me?" She asked.

"Sure. I've gotta report in sometime today anyway," X replied. Together, the two of them left the building and began walking down the street.

* * *

This wasn't the kind of thing Signas envisioned when he applied for Commander. He envisioned glory, respect, and drama. He didn't envision cleaning up after everyone else's mess. He didn't envision being laughed at behind his back, either. Now, as he sat at the command chair, resting his chin in his hands, he wondered if it was time for a career change. Something that didn't involve all these boring procedures and paperwork.

As he lamented his misfortune, an operator ran up to the impressive-looking command chair carrying a stack of papers. "The surviving equipment from the hangar bay just arrived. These are the bills from the transport company," the operator said, handing him the thin stack. Signas sighed and pulled a pin from his uniform's lapel.

_No leader ever became famous by filling out bills... _he thought to himself. _If only we knew where the Maverick's base of operations was. _

"Sir!"

"What is it?" Signas perked at the voice of another operator.

"One of the hunters in the 9th is requesting lodging here. Says he can't find anywhere to stay."

"...fine. Let him stay," the excitement drained out of Signas's voice. This drudgery would be the death of him. He just wished X and Alia would get here so he could liven things up a bit...

"Sir!" Another damn operator.

"What now?" Signas inquired lazily.

"I'm...not sure. Come take a look at this," the operator's voice leaked a bit of concern. A slight smile blooming on Signas's lips, he raised himself off his chair and stood behind the operator, peering over his shoulder at the monitor. "See that?" The operator pointed to a tall wire-framed spike in the midst of a sea of smaller spikes. The label 'General Energy Graph' was displayed at the upper right corner of the display, and Signas was starting to get an idea of what the image identified.

"Do you know what this is, sir?" the operator explained. Signas smirked.

"I _know_ what a General Energy Graph is," Signas's tone indicated that it was a ridiculous question, though until he noticed the label on the computer screen, he had never seen one before.

"What about these energy readings? Can you make 'em out?"

"...of course."

"What do you think it is?" The operator's inquiry stopped Signas dead in his tracks. How was he going to fake this one?

"It looks to me like...an energy spike," Signas mused, trying to sound more thoughtful than clueless.

"Should I run a more narrow search?"

"Yes." The operator began punching keys on his console at Signas's request. A moment later, the green wire frame graph was wiped clean and replaced by a blue graph. The energy spike disappeared.

"It's not weapons-grade energy, that's for sure," the operator barely whispered, his mind already racing ahead to other possibilities. He hit more keys, and the graph became red. "Looks like there's a slight increase in pilot energy." Pilot referring to the energy used and generated by reploids to power themselves. Without it, reploid CPUs would be unable to 'pilot' their bodies.

"What other options do we have?"

"Well, it'd guess this thing is a high-end reploid, so that narrows the search a bit. I'll check for wave-form particles." Signas didn't know what the hell wave-form particles were, but no leader ever became famous by asking stupid questions. The graph changed to a dark purple. "...nope. It's all normal. Switching to psychic concentration scanner." The monitor was wiped once more, and the now-orange graph startled them both.

"Looks like we've found the source," Signas said proudly.

"There's a...massive collection of psychic energy condensed in an extremely small area. I don't understand...we usually see this kind of phenomenon at rallies or music concerts, but that's over a wider area and it's not nearly this strong. What do you think this means, sir?"

"I think..." Signas murmured, placing a hand thoughtfully on his chin. "This warrants further investigation."

"But sir, shouldn't we address the possibility that this could be some kind of weapon? There's at least fifty thousand megajoules of psychic energy condensed into an area of a few meters. Even if it isn't a weapon, having that much volatile energy packed so close together could cause unexpected results..."

"Just tell me where it is," Signas ordered. Soon, the black backdrop of the monitor dissolved into a map of Neo Tokyo City. The operator looked for a second at it, then hit another button and the map disappeared.

"It's near 5th and Katsuragi. Want me to call in some hunters to investigate?" The operator spoke in an excited tone. Perhaps he was as eager for something to happen as Signas was. However, if Signas had one thing going for him, it was that he knew how to maintain a clear head.

"No. We don't know yet if this is already being taken care of by the Neo Tokyo MPs. It's not the best idea to go stepping on their toes, especially not with this current mess to deal with."

"But...if we just leave it there, it might cause a reaction."

"I think we'll know soon enough if it's a problem or not," Signas's tone indicated there was no more room for discussion. He moved slowly back to his command chair, but as he did so, an alarm began blaring from one of the operators' consoles.

"Sir! Maverick report from north Katsuragi street! This one sounds bad..." Signas cast a glance back at the operator he had just spoken to, who merely shrugged with an 'I-told-you-so' look on his face. Then, he turned back to the operator that had just addressed him.

"Notify Megaman X and Zero on their personal comm. links. Also, send out a call to any nearby Maverick Hunters. Tell them to _use extreme caution_!" Signas barked, though he thought it just a little bit redundant to tell them to use caution. This maverick attack was making him uneasy. He didn't like being uneasy.

* * *

"Say what? We're _on _Katsuragi, and I don't see anythi..." X stopped his sentence short as a human was tossed, seemingly by the air itself, out of a nearby window. The middle-aged male landed with a sickening splatter on the street to their right. In the same instant, the building out of which the man had flown exploded, flinging bits of metal and debris in all directions. Out of the chaos, a large figure soared through the dust clouds and landed awkwardly on the sidewalk before X and Alia.

"Oh, god..." Alia stammered, disgustingly captivated by the thing before them. At first, it was hard to tell exactly what it was. Soon enough though, what they thought was a deformed reploid was really a heavyweight combat reploid with a...thing attached to its back. The thing was spider-like, half organic matter and half metal, with four devilishly clawed arms arcing out of each side of the poor reploid's back. The thing seemed to have a head; a thin appendage that looked almost like a stumpy leg with a single blood-red eye affixed to its anterior. The head was resting on the head of its host, a tall reploid with massive arms built for destruction. Everything about the reploid seemed normal, except that the skin of its face was missing. Beneath the featureless monochrome helmet, metal skeleton took the place of a normal human face. The metal jaw worked itself into a sinister smile, adding to the already terrifying display. Then, the reploid's blank eye lenses lit up in a brilliant display of black and green.

X instinctively threw his hand back to protect Alia, but the monstrosity merely regarded them with mild curiosity. Then, slowly, it began to lumber across the street. The reploid body paid no heed to the oncoming cars, as the spider arms tossed aside any that were in danger of hitting it with horrifying strength. When the thing reached the opposite sidewalk, it looked up at the building before it with the same curiosity a child displays when seeing a new toy.

Then, suddenly, its demeanor changed completely. It thrashed its head about violently, and its eye went wide. A moment later, the entire top half of the building seemed to come apart at the seams. Cracks trickled along the neocrete walls, and windows seemed to collapse in on themselves. Then, as if an invisible giant had blown a great gust of air, the building was swept away in an explosion of kinetic force and dust. X looked on in disbelief as chunks of neocrete and human flesh rained down on the city up to several blocks away.

_"Commander X? What the hell's going on!?" _X's comm. link buzzed, and numbly he tapped it.

"This thing's definitely a maverick. Call Zero, Axl and Marx," X's mouth moved independently; he was too shocked to think about what he was saying. The monster had already begun attacking another building, ripping out large bits from the walls. Alia was the first to come to her senses.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to stop this thing?" She gently, but firmly, gave X a shove toward the maverick.

"...you're right. Find cover somewhere, Alia," he said, talking once again into his comm. link. "Send me my combat armor," his voice rang clear now, the effect of the encounter with the odd beast having worn off. He tensed as an electric sensation enveloped him, and suddenly he felt metal enclose his head, arms, legs and chest. Instant Transit technology had recently been reworked to teleport armor, fully combat-ready, onto a waiting Maverick Hunter. Now, this technology was being put to full use.

"Hey!" X yelled, waving his hands in the air. He was hoping the maverick would stop tearing at the building, but it seemed to have a one-track mind. He decided that the best distraction would be a nice thick plasma blast to the head. X let loose a volley that peppered the armored back of the spider-symbiote thing. It gave an unearthly howl, and turned to face X. Rather, its head turned. The rest of it proceeded in its destructive path.

"Pay attention to me, damnit!" X roared, firing at the maverick's big red eye. The plasma hit dead on, and the creature stopped its rampage, human female in one of its eight claws. X winced as the female was quickly crushed and discarded by the maverick. It turned to him for a second, examining him, almost as if it didn't know what he was. Then, without further hesitation, its reploid legs jumped into the air, and its symbiote arms stretched out and latched onto the ground ahead. It pulled itself forward at a blinding speed, using the strength of its arms to counter its excessive weight. It hurled itself at X, and he nimbly leapt to the side.

The spider-symbiote-reploid hybrid careened into the wall where X had stood moments before. The wall began to cave in, but the spider arms simply sloughed off the neocrete and turned back to X, who was firing off feeble plasma blasts that bounced off the symbiote half's reflective armor. The thing began lumbering at him, and he switched tactics. He shot at the reploid host, and as soon as he did, the spider arms closed around it protectively. _Well, well, we've got a weakness... _X thought to himself as he continued his barrage.

To his chagrin, the maverick resumed its march with arms still in their protective positions. "HQ! Suggestions!?" He screamed into his comm. link. The creature was almost upon him.

_"We're still getting an analysis from your optical feeds. It'll take a bit more time," _said the operator, worry bleeding into his voice. X swore under his breath, but then the maverick stopped. Above the armor-plated spider appendages, the creature's head reared up and fixed him with an almost hypnotic stare. X was about to shoot for the eye when he felt a strange floating sensation. Suddenly, he felt as if he had been slammed in the chest with a giant hammer, and he was sent sprawling all the way down the block.

X got up slowly, feeling as though more than one of his joints had been broken. _At least there's some distance between us now, _X thought. His thoughts were interrupted by his comm. link.

_"Commander, don't kill it!" _the operator sounded frantic.

"Say WHAT!?" X replied in kind. "Why not?"

_"No time to explain. Pull back before it kills _you_,"_

"There's still humans here!"

_"That's not our primary concern now. If you don't pull out, either you or the maverick is going to die. And believe me, if the maverick dies, you'll be dead too."_

**End of Chapter 17**

AN: And so ends my wonderful updating spree. School is back in full force, and soon enough I'll be the mindless little worker bee that I was before Christmas break. So, hope you enjoy, and I'll try to get working on the next chapter ('cause I know this cliffhanger is already killing you).


	19. Chapter 18: The Chase Begins

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 4: Intercept Maverick Bio-weapon

Chapter 18: The Chase Begins

By Genoscythe

Earlier that morning...

Marx flicked a chestnut lock of hair away from his eyes so that he could better watch the scene playing out before him. A bum was tugging on the coat of a pedestrian on the sidewalk before him, pleading for credits. The pedestrian had given him the cold shoulder all the way down the street, but as soon as the dirty man had touched him, he flew into a rage.

It was all disturbingly amusing, watching humans and their petty squabbles. For three hours, Marx had done just that. Sitting on the wide stoop leading up to his apartment complex, he had seen all manner of curious activity, from fistfights to apocalyptic prophets screaming messages of doom down the street. And the entire time, he had not seen a single reploid. It was almost humiliating.

The argument between the civilian and the hobo ended almost as soon as it started, with the well-dressed man running off down the street. The bum sat down in the middle of the sidewalk and tossed back a dirty bottle of liquid. God, if the normal humans smelled horrible, this man was hundreds of times worse. Marx turned off his scent receptors.

Now, to Marx's surprise, the hobo turned to look at him, an unsettling gleam in his eyes. "Heyy, mishta..." The bum began in a drunken slur. _That liquid sure as hell isn't water, _Marx thought to himself.

He held up a hand. "Don't start with me, buddy," he said curtly. The bum fixed him with a curious gaze.

"Jus gimme some creds. C'mon..."

Marx chuckled mirthlessly. "Do you know what I am?" He took the inebriated questioning stare to mean no. "I'm a reploid. I'm smarter than you, I can do more jobs than you, I can do them faster, I can do them more efficiently. I'm indispensable to the working force. And here I am, on Shit Street, watching humans go about their business. What makes you think I'd have _any _money, much less some to spare for a drunken degenerate like you?" His little speech came out much harsher than he had intended, but his audience still didn't comprehend. "That means no."

"Oh..." the bum said, staring blankly at the ground. Then, without another word, he got up and staggered down the street. _Frigging drunk..._

"Marx!" A hard, female voice called from the far end of the sidewalk. He turned to look, and caught a flying can on its trajectory toward his head. He saw Nephtis, passing under the stoplight on the corner, her hands full of a myriad of small and large boxes. He popped open the drink can in his hand, found it was Juice Up, the leading brand in reploid fuel drinks. He took a deep gulp as he walked toward Nephtis to relieve her of her burden. The stuff tasted like human sports drink (A substance Marx had accidentally swallowed whilst living with Dr. Belheim), but it was incredibly refreshing. A quick internal systems diagnostic revealed that he was still running at only ¼ energy capacity. The skirmish outside Maverick Hunter HQ yesterday had drained him more thoroughly than he had thought.

He grabbed one of the large boxes balanced on Nephtis's shoulder, holding the Juice Up can between his teeth. Abruptly, his roommate dumped the rest of her burden on top of the single box he had intended to carry before, and even against his reploid strength the weight was staggering. "What the hell did you buy?" He tried to say, though holding a can between his teeth didn't make talking any easier.

"I bought what we needed," Nephtis replied coolly.

"We're reploids. We're _supposed _to be able to survive in harsh conditions. Whatever's in here, we don't need it," he said, still trying to speak clearly with the can in his mouth.

Marx felt her dark eyes on him. "We live in a human apartment building, with human appliances, human food, and human furniture." She walked up and rested herself on top of the stack of boxes, looking directly into his eyes. "I'm just trying to make the conditions a little less harsh," she finished, whirling about and walking leisurely down the street toward their apartment building.

Marx cursed under his breath, hefted his burden and followed her. An argument, two broken stairs, and four dropped boxes later, the pair stood amidst the ruin of their apartment. Shoving most of the boxes into the corner, Nephtis opened the box of Juice Up cans and grabbed one for herself. Marx tossed aside his empty can and grabbed another.

To his surprise, the apartment room was equipped with a kitchen consisting of a gas stove shoved into the wall next to the bed, and a tiny tile countertop. Seemingly out of nowhere, Nephtis pulled a fold-out wooden table out of a drawer in the counter and established it near the window. Marx noticed a small bunch of chairs shoved into a corner, and he quickly grabbed two and pulled them up to the table.

Nephtis immediately collapsed onto one of the chairs, and it groaned in protest. Pressing the Juice Up can, still cold from the store freezer, against her forehead, she looked dejectedly at the floor. He took a seat across from her.

"You get what you pay for," Marx reminded her.

"You're not helping..." she muttered, the can dropping rivulets of water onto the tabletop. Marx stared out the window behind her at the street. He recalled his activities earlier that morning.

"Isn't it funny how there's more than eight billion people out there, and yet most of 'em are lonely?" He asked her casually.

She nodded. "And sad," she added.

"...and sad..." he conceded, his tone notably subdued. To Marx's dismay, their conversation fell dead at that. They sat in an unbearable silence, looking about at everything in the room except each other. Marx could think of nothing to say, nothing to do, that she would go along with. It was then that he realized he still didn't know very much about her. He didn't know what she liked, what she did, and most importantly of all, where she was from.

Finally, he could take it no more. "Why can't you open up to me? At least a little bit?" he asked, trying desperately to keep the anger from bleeding into his voice. She said nothing. "Don't I deserve to know who you are?"

This struck a chord. "Why? How did you deserve that privilege?" She said 'deserve' as if it were an exceedingly distasteful word.

"Privilege?" This was too much. "It's not a _privilege _to tell someone about yourself. It's called a _courtesy_. Especially if that someone is..." Marx trailed off. _I almost said in love with you... _he thought, mortified.

"That someone is...?" Nephtis prompted.

"Your roommate," he sputtered, finding a suitable answer as quickly as possible. _God, what the hell am I thinking?_

"Look, I'm not about to tell my story to someone like you. I don't even _know _you yet!"

"And I'm trying to rectify that!" At his latest proclamation, Nephtis fell silent. "I only want to hear about your past so I can get to know you."

She looked down, ashamedly. "Isn't there a better way to get to know me?" She asked modestly, the hardness in her voice all but vanished.

"What better place to start than at the beginning?" He placed his hand reassuringly on the center of the table. "I'm not trying to judge you. And hell, if you're worried about some, ah...illicit activities in your past, I'm nobody to blame you. Remember? _I _used to be a criminal too."

"What makes you think I'm a criminal?" She said all too quickly, her eyes flashing.

"Nothing. Just speculating, here," he held up his hands. "So? How about it?" However, as Nephtis was about to open her mouth, Marx's internal comm. link began blaring out a warning of an incoming call. Biting his tongue to keep from swearing loudly, he answered the call.

"Marx here," he said brusquely into the comm. link. Nephtis cast him a relieved glance, then turned her gaze to the floor.

_"Hostile at 5th and Katsuragi streets. Commander X requests immediate backup." _The voice on the other end belonged to one of HQ's operators, that much was certain. _"We're prepping your armor for transit. Be ready in 2."_

"Uh...sure. Anything else?" Marx glanced at Nephtis as he stood.

_"Do not retire the target. Repeat, do not re-"_

"Say what?"

_"Target is filled with condensed kinetic energy. If the target's shell is ruptured, the energy will expand, much like helium in a popped balloon, and create a shockwave big enough to engulf half the city. Chance to survive such a shockwave is 0.007 percent."_

"So what do I do?"

_"Distract the target while the surrounding area is evacuated. We're already working out what to do after that."_

"Wonderful," Marx said dryly as a prickly sensation enveloped him. A second later, his combat armor materialized around his body. The floor groaned loudly and sank a few inches."Any other sagely words of advice before I get myself killed?"

_"Yes. Don't get killed."_

"Thanks,"Marx strode past Nephtis and toward an open window. With a discreet glance back at the dark beauty still sitting at the table, he leapt through the window and fell the meager three stories down to the sidewalk below and nearly landed on a passersby. Tipping his helmet in apology, Marx bolted down the street toward the growing sound of commotion in the distance.

* * *

It killed X to let the creature go about its destructive habits, but deep down he knew his orders made sense. He stood at the spot where he had been blown to by the maverick's kinetic blast, rooted to the spot. _A kinetic shockwave... I can't let that happen, _X thought, for thinking was about the only option he had at the moment. He could try immobilizing it, but the operator had said that any opening in the maverick's flesh would cause a chain reaction. 

Suddenly, X remembered Alia. _I told her to take cover...argh, where'd she go? _X looked down the street, but saw no sign of the blonde operator. Boldly, he took a step forward that went unnoticed by the maverick. The creature was now tearing into buildings on the opposite side of the street, having immediately lost interest in him, and therefore was paying no attention to him now. He took another step, and soon broke into a run down the street.

As desperately as he wanted to call out Alia's name, he feared drawing the creature's attention. Soon enough though, he was spared having to call her name when a hand reached out of an alleyway and grabbed his shoulder. It was Alia, submerged in the protective shadows of the alley, and she pulled X into the darkness with her.

"X! What on earth is that...thing?" she whispered, trying to control the terror in her voice.

"HQ's analyzing it right now. We'll know soon enough...look, Alia, you've gotta get out of here now. I mean _now,_"

"...why?"

"I'm about to do something really, really stupid." He said, flashing a roguish grin. Abruptly, Alia's arms flung forward and she gripped him in a tight hug.

"You're picking up one too many bad habits from Zero," she murmured, her head resting on his chest. Slowly, X returned the embrace, wrapping one arm around her back and resting the other on the back of her head.

"Don't worry about me. Not like it ever helps for me to tell you that, but I'm serious. Now get going, and don't stop until you're inside Hunter HQ," he whispered, releasing his embrace and guiding her gently back into the sunlight. He pointed down the street in the direction opposite of the creature, and Alia ran down it. X remained still, watching until she turned a corner and was out of sight.

He turned, glaring at the monstrosity down the street. Most of its arms were filled with humans in various stages of being crushed. Taking a deep, reassuring breath, X ran at full speed toward the maverick. Alia was right. X _was_ picking up one of Zero's bad habits. He reached the maverick, which was still turned away from him, and jumped on its back. The creature stiffened, and dropped its human baggage. However, X was already gathering energy into his buster arm.

Iridescent tendrils of energy enveloped X's arm, siphoning into the barrel of his buster.The maverick began attempting to grab him, but he was largely in the creature's blind spot, beyond the reach of its arms. A warm, tingling feeling gathered in his arm as the energy intensified. Only a minute to go before he had full power...

* * *

Marx could definitely see something down the street, but what it was exactly he could not tell. It appeared to have many limbs, and they were all thrashing about, trying to grab at something on its back. The limbs weren't quite flexible enough, and they fell short of reaching the object. As Marx neared, the thing became somewhat more definable. Marx wished it wasn't. 

A crawling sensation rippled across his synthetic skin as he stared, stock still, at what could only be the most hideous spider he had ever seen. Normal spiders were bad enough, but this _thing _made him go rigid. It was only for a moment, because then he noticed what was on the creature's back. It was Megaman X, and he seemed to be trying to overload his buster. Was this the thing HQ had told them _not _to kill?

"Operator, Commander X is trying to destroy the spider thing. Have you found a weakness?"

_"He's WHAT!"_

"He's overloading his buster on the creature's back."

_"No! Stop him!" _The operator cried frantically. Just then, X noticed Marx.

"Marx! Get out of here! Let me deal with this thing!" He yelled, grunting as one of the maverick's sharp claws grazed his shoulder. Marx didn't move. On one hand, he had orders to stop X from what, for all intents and purposes, looked like a kamikaze move. On the other hand, X was telling him to back off. X was one of the only people Marx had ever met who had earned his respect. And yet, did that mean he should disobey a direct order and let him die?

Whatever X was doing, it didn't seem like it was going to work. It looked like he would end up annihilating Neo Tokyo City, just like any other way. But he seemed so determined... _Damn it! What to do? _Marx was at a total emotional impasse. X looked about ready to overcharge his buster, so he had to make his decision fast.

_"Hurry! He doesn't know what he's doing!" _The operator yelled, and instinct took over. Marx ran and grabbed X, throwing him off the maverick just as the X Buster overcharged and a massive outpouring of energy rocketed into the sky, accompanied by a cry of anger and pain from X. Both Marx and X fell to the ground, X's buster arm melted and spewing forth brilliant blue vapors as it tried to cool down.

The maverick screamed in anguish as well, and for a moment, Marx braced himself and prepared for the worst. However, he never felt the blast wave hit him. He glanced at the hideous creature, ignoring the involuntary shudder of his limbs at the sight of it, and noticed that one of its claws had been burnt off. Either the kinetic energy didn't reach into the maverick's limbs, or the blazing hot energy had cauterized the wound before the energy could escape. Marx didn't have enough time to be sure, for the maverick suddenly roared and bounded off down the street. Its spider arms stretched out and pulled it forward in huge strides, and it was out of sight in a moment.

Marx swore and looked at X, writhing on the ground. His buster arm was ruined; scorched and torn by the uncontrollable release of energy. The barrel was melted shut and ragged holes ran all the way up his scorched forearm. Quickly, he activated his comm. link. "I stopped X, but he's badly injured from the overcharge. Get him out of here and into maintenance," he told the operator.

_"What about the maverick?" _the response came.

"I'll worry about the maverick. Just get X ready for combat again as soon as possible,"

_"Take it easy. Zero and Axl are en route to your position."_

"Tell them to follow my IFF signal; I won't be waiting around for them to get here,"

_"Affirmative. Anything else?" _the operator asked. Suddenly, Marx seemed to be the one calling the shots. _Now how'd that happen? _He mused to himself.

"That's all. I'll get back to you if I need anything else," Marx said, though he was already moving in the direction he hoped the creature had gone. It wouldn't be hard to follow the massive, reckless footprints torn into the street. The hard part would be what to do once he caught up to it.

**End of Chapter 18**

AN: I'd just like to say one thing: Capcom isn't nearly as stupid as they let on. I just got Megaman X8 today, and it's somehow restored my crumbling faith in the series. The gameplay is back to its awesome former self (even better, now that Axl's in for the ride) and for once, the voice acting is passable. They finally got cell shading right, too. I wouldn't believe it, but usually hallucinations or dreams would've ended by now. So, with any luck, it'll be a big boost to my will to write; not like I've never said that before, but one can always hope.


	20. Chapter 19: Last Resort

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Mission 4: Intercept Maverick Bio-weapon

Chapter 19: Last Resort

By Genoscythe

Big thanks to everyone who keeps this story going: windwingxs for constant patience and positive comments, Dragonman (who I swear can read my mind; I was thinking about putting Zero's weapons in about the time I readhis review) for contributing so many ideas for me to steal, Darkzero 12 for keeping my rampant will to writein check, Princess Zidet forbeinga master at making a writer feel good about himself, Zero Asakura for showing his support (your english is fine, don't worry about it. Better thansomeamericans I've seen), and everyone else that keeps this thing moving (sorry if I didn't mention you, it's getting late and I'm having trouble sifting through reviews for people I haven't mentioned yet. Just know I'm equally thankful for your support). Now, on with theway overdue show, eh?

* * *

The entropy was almost oppressive in the dark room. However, Sigma was used to such entropy. In fact, he quite thrived on it. He drank in the smell of death, the smashed machinery, the massive claw marks raked into the walls. The shattered test chamber was like a work of art, and if Sigma's dream were to come true, the whole world would be a reflection of this chaos, this misunderstood beauty.

Sigma didn't have much time to reflect on his visions as Tread Havoc appeared at his side. "We lost Kinetic Arachno somewhere in the city, but if this is any indication of its power," he swept his armored hand around the room. "That may be more good than bad."

"What kind of damage did it do to the base before it escaped?" Sigma asked, cutting right to the point.

"Uh...well, it's a 'she' now," Havoc muttered, not sure if that was something Sigma needed to hear or not.

"Explain." Sigma was in no mood for small talk.

"I'll start at the beginning," Havoc stepped forth into the light, and he now stood amidst the chaos. Lesser mavericks were combing the rows of computer consoles on either side of him, picking through dead bodies and debris for anything useful. They were in a low-ceilinged viewing room that led out, through a massive rectangular portal on the other side of the room, to a long test chamber.

"The techs were running target finder simulations on the subject, showing it hostile images and practice drones shaped like Maverick Hunters. However, I can only guess that the target data and that of the scientists themselves matched too closely, and the subject attacked them during the trial."

"How? Didn't the window protect them?"

"We thought it would. But...it looks like we underestimated its abilities. It must have made one of the technicians open the viewing window, and then..." Havoc looked around at the carnage once more. "Someone sounded the alarm, and security was able to contain the thing inside the test chamber. It managed to grab one of our men and...attach itself to his back."

"How?"

"I don't know the specs on this monster. You'll have to ask Tempest. Anyway, it flew out of control when it attached to his back, and it blew the security force away. From there, it used the host body to access the base's AI system."

"And that's why it's a 'she'," Sigma concluded.

"Yes. It downloaded the base's AI, and then she took off toward the city. But, since the AI is a modified form of your virus, she has the instinctual need to kill humans. This could be our lucky break."

"And what about the base? Without the AI, most of our facilities are inoperable."

"A backup system is already being installed. We'll only be running at 48 of normal capacity, but it should serve us well enough until we can re-install a permanent AI."

Sigma growled, a deep guttural sound that was almost feral. "This couldn't have come at a worse time..."

Havoc raised an eyebrow beneath his olive helmet. "And what time is that?"

"I may have found a way to rid us of the humans. All of them." Sigma beckoned for Tread Havoc to come closer. Sigma's subordinate conceded, his form fading into the shadows. "I have seen Elysium." Sigma whispered. Havoc's eyes widened, and his breath quickened.

"How do you know..."

"I will explain later," Sigma gestured toward the midst of the test chamber, three massive claws emerging from the darkness. "This work of art is a bit distracting," he concluded. Havoc shuddered slightly. _I may share Sigma's burning hatred for humans... _he thought, _but I could never share his admiration of entropy.

* * *

_

Marx spun about, his eyes darting back and forth. The inside of the factory was darker than he had assumed on his way in. _A lot darker_. Having to rely on Night Vision mode was something he had always dreaded in a real fight. _Especially when I can't kill my target. _Every indistinct green blob looked like every other, and he feared that if he actually found the maverick, he would mistake it for a piece of machinery and fire on it.

Marx had tracked the maverick down to an abandoned factory in the wastelands outside Neo Tokyo City, and Zero and Axl had caught up to him on ride chasers. They had entered the abandoned factory and fallen into some kind of pit while searching for a light switch. This brought them to their present situation, groping in the dark for a possibly non-existent light switch with a deadly reploid lurking nearby. Giving up on trying to find the enemy, he lowered his gun and tapped his comm. link.

"Zero? Axl? Any luck?"

_"Can't see a GOD DAMN THING!"_ was Zero's reply. Marx waited, but nothing came from Axl.

"Axl? Did you pick up a trail?" Still nothing. His proverbial heart rate increasing, he asked again, "Where are you, Axl?" He had barely formed the last words when his eyes were awash with white static. He quickly switched out of NV mode, and found that the lights were now on. Marx's skin paled when he realized where they were. They were standing in the midst of a waste disposal plant for dead reploids.

Torn, shattered torsos, heads, arms, and entire bodies were piled high around him. Bloody faces leered at them from under their comrades' corpses. He looked down a narrow alley dug through the bodies to see Zero, looking equally disgusted, around at their surroundings. "I knew we were in the Maverick Disposal plant, but I didn't know we were actually _with _the disposed mavericks..." Zero muttered, making his way to where Marx was standing.

A clatter sent both hunters twirling to their left. Atop one of the trash piles stood Axl, triumph beaming on his face. "I found the light switch!" He called down to them, and Zero gave a thumbs-up in response. The young hunter skidded down the sloping heap and came to a stop in front of his companions. "So how does something so big and reckless manage to hide from us for so long?" Axl inquired.

"Maybe it's not hiding," Zero offered. Almost as quickly as he said this, the ground between them exploded and flung each of the hunters in different directions. Marx landed on his back and flipped over, his legs throwing sparks off the ground as he tried to kill his momentum. He looked to his right as Zero landed near him.

"How'd you know?" Marx yelled over the roar of another explosion.

"Just a hunch," Zero offered as he looked up. The factory was shaped like an oval, and for the most part, hollow. However, suspended platforms hung overhead like mechanical clouds, used by the workers of the plant whom had long ago abandoned the dying factory. On one of these platforms clung the maverick, its single red eye blazing furiously. Its head snapped back, and the heap of reploids next to him flew apart, raining bloody reploid limbs in all directions.

Marx raised his automatic pistol, but then lowered it. He didn't trust his accuracy, not when so much was on the line. Instead, he ran through the rows of dead reploids as the creature continued raining down invisible destruction on them. On his left, Axl did the same. However, he saw Axl stop out of the corner of his eye, and he stopped as well. The ebony Maverick Hunter got down on one knee and began fishing for something in a small belt that Marx had never noticed before.

Axl pulled forth something that looked like a silver cube, but when he pressed a button on the side, it opened and elongated on both sides into a small rifle. Marx's jaw hung open as a handle and trigger slid out the bottom and Axl grabbed it in one hand. Steadying it on his left arm, he fired a needle-thin blue laser beam that struck the creature's platform, piercing the propulsion engine.

With a wail, the platform sputtered, shook, and came crashing into a soft bed of reploid corpses. Marx and Axl stood with baited breath, waiting for a concussive blast to tear them apart. None came, and they loosened a bit. However, since there was no explosion, the maverick was still alive. An unearthly howl filled the plant, and the pile of reploids was blown apart with blinding power. A reploid torso slammed into Marx, and he was sent sprawling onto the bloody metal floor.

His vision awash with static, his left hip rotor damaged, he made no move to get up right away. He heard more shots, presumably from Axl, and heard the pounding of heavy footsteps, or clawsteps ,as it were. Groaning, Marx got to his feet with his pistol ready. He caught a glimpse of the maverick scaling the far wall, screeching and throwing invisible balls of kinetic energy at Axl.

For a brief moment, Marx wondered where Zero had gone. Then, as soon as the thought occurred to him, he noticed a flash of red running across one of the platforms above. Zero leapt from platform to platform, and just as the creature reached his height, he jumped and slashed downward with his beam saber. The maverick fell backward, but one of its legs refused to follow it, as Zero had hacked it off. As Zero fell, he turned off his beam saber and jammed the hilt into the wall, puncturing the weak metal and effectively stopping his descent. He hung, one arm on his beam saber hilt, and began raining plasma bolts on the falling maverick with his other hand.

Every shot connected with its arms, and it screamed. The creature crashed to the ground, contorting in spasms of pain. Zero ripped the beam saber out of the wall and he plummeted the rest of the way down, landing next to the writhing maverick. "Go for the arms!" he yelled as he re-activated his saber and took a slash at the creature's remaining arms. However, before he could connect a hit, he was blown back into a pile of reploid carcasses.

The maverick was on its reploid feet, and soon scurrying up the wall with renewed haste. Axl fired several shots, but they all went wide. Knowing that he would be useless trying to stop the creature, Marx ran to where Zero had fallen. He found the hunter on his feet, the now-familiar fire in his eyes. When Zero didn't' respond to Marx's presence, he tapped him on the shoulder.

This seemed to shake Zero out of his motionless stupor, and he wordlessly leapt into the air, grabbing hold of a platform and swinging himself up. He continued like this, jumping from platform to platform, until it made Marx dizzy to keep watching. He decided to seek out Axl, who he hoped was feeling more articulate.

"Hey Axl, should we follow him?" Marx asked, pointing upward.

"Do we really have a choice?"

"...guess not," Marx was hoping Axl would share his streak of cowardice, but such wasn't the case. Axl immediately spotted an elevator at the far end of the pit, lying against the wall. They hurried in it, and Axl pressed the uppermost button. The elevator lurched to life, and crawled up the side of the pit.

It picked up speed as it cleared the pit and became suspended in mid air. Marx watched as the layers of floating platforms below them faded away, and before long the elevator stopped completely. When the doors slid open, the two hunters were assaulted with a harsh red sunset. They were now on the roof of the disposal plant.

They ran out of the elevator and onto a catwalk clinging precariously to the edge of the building. Above and below them, catwalks and pipes criss-crossed into a veritable maze of steel. Axl looked to Marx and said, "I'm taking a look around. Stay here unless I call you."

"What, do you plan to-" Marx began chidingly, but his words died in his throat as a pair of paper-thin white wings emerged from the small of Axl's back. "...grow wings?" He finished meekly, and Axl chuckled. He leapt into the air, and a propulsion system that Marx had never seen before came to life on the sides of the ebony hunter's boots.

Axl was lifted into the air, and he wove through the maze of pipes expertly until he was hovering over the plant. _"I see Zero and the maverick fighting on the roof. See if you can climb up the pipes," _he said over the comm. link.

"Who do you think I am, Zero?" Marx muttered as he attempted to leap up to the pipe overhead. He returned to Earth instantly, having come nowhere near to reaching the pipe. He tried again, coming only an inch closer. _The battle's gonna be over by the time I get up this first damn pipe... _he thought as he tried again. Sighing in frustration, he looked about him.

His eyes came across a ladder hugging the side of the plant. Mentally cursing himself, he ran to the ladder and began hauling himself up three rungs at a time, the old metal bending under his heavy frame. _This is about the most un-cool way I could possibly get up there...damn it, why didn't my old man think ahead and spend all his money on upgrades for me? _

When Marx reached the top, he was greeted by an odd sight. The arachnid maverick was exchanging blows with Zero's beam saber, its claws glowing an ethereal green like the eyes of its host body. Axl stood by, looking helpless. Marx made his way to Axl and tapped him on the shoulder. "What the hell's going on? Aren't you gonna help him?"

Axl shrugged. "I tried, but I might as well shoot myself in the head. He's a madman when he's like this, and it'd be more dangerous for all of us if I tried to help."

"...so we just stand here?"

"For now. Wait and see what plays out. We still haven't gotten word from HQ on how to deal with this thing." When they had arrived at the factory, Zero had sent word to HQ and told them to send someone with a way to destroy the monster safely. So far, nobody had arrived. They watched on helplessly as Zero battered the thing with his saber; it looked as if he had set the power frequency to the lowest level so it wouldn't penetrate the maverick's skin.

Suddenly, a million things seemed to happen at once. First, Zero was hit hard by a flailing spider limb. Then, a flash of blue light erupted right in front of Marx and Axl. The light dissipated, and Megaman X stood between them and the monster. His buster arm looked different; it must have been swapped for an older part to complete repairs faster. Another change in X was that his armor was now a light shade of purple.

Marx didn't know why X's armor had changed color, but he hoped X had found a solution. Then, the creature roared and charged at the newcomer. X, however, remained still. When the maverick was close enough for X to sneeze on, his thrusters flared to life and he blasted forward faster than Marx thought possible. He slammed his buster into the maverick's single red eye, and the roar became distorted, now more like a cry of agony.

The roof appeared to be where the maverick parts were unloaded, for there was a massive hole in the middle that lead down into the factory itself. X's momentum propelled both he and the maverick forward, and over the edge of the hole. Marx held his breath as the infamous Maverick Hunter plunged into the darkness, his buster jammed into the maverick's head. He waited, and at length, he heard a loud crash resonate from below.

After moments of silence, a voice filled his head. _"Get ready!" _X yelled onto the comm. frequency. Both Axl and Zero must've heard it too, for they tensed as well. Then, all hell broke loose. First came a guttural rumble, then an outpouring of sound and force unlike anything Marx had ever experienced, and doubted ever _would _experience again. The building seemed to split apart at the seams, the air around him seemed to bend, and almost like a giant bubble ready to pop, everything stood still.

Then, the ground beneath them was sent flying into the air, and the roof snapped into a myriad of large chunks. Marx felt their little island teeter, and it began to tilt on its side. "Jump!" Zero yelled, leaping deftly to one of the other pieces of debris. Axl followed suit, and Marx did as well, though much less gracefully and came much closer to falling. The debris was suspended in the air for only a moment by the final release of force, then began the rapid plummet.

Zero ordered them to stand at opposite sides of their chunk to keep it from flipping over, and it seemed to be working, for a little bit. However, physics would not let them off easily, and the debris began to break up. Following Zero's example, Marx began jumping again, from odd-shaped block to flat sheet of metal, always moving to keep from being thrown out into the open air.

Marx looked down with horror to see that they were nearing the ground, and quickly. Axl jumped off his piece of debris and activated his wings. Zero seemed to be waiting for the right time to move. And Marx had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do. So, he resigned himself to watching Zero, waiting and hoping he could copy the legendary hunter's move.

Zero jumped, and a second later Marx followed him. He felt the wind tear at his body, and he noticed the ground was less than a hundred feet away. When he looked to Zero, he saw that he was in a rolling position. _He's rolling to absorb the impact. Not quite as smooth as Axl's way, but I guess it'll work. We _are _reploids, after all... _Marx had barely gotten into position when he collided with the ground, right arm first. He cried out as he heard a scrape, followed by several cracks and snaps. White hot fire shot up his arm and several other places on his body as he sank to the ashen ground. He tried to move his arm, but nothing happened, apart from an unhappy whirr and some more scraping sounds. Pain surrounded his body, and he had not the strength to fight it. Come to think of it, Marx was getting awfully tired. Before he knew it, he had shut down, and he could fight no more.

**Mission 4 status: Completed**

**Maverick Leader: Retired**

**Main Objective: Completed**

**Secondary Objective: Completed**

Note: Mission parameters would not allow for safe retrieval of data sample

**End of Chapter 19**

AN: Whoah. From 4 months of inactivity to an entire chapter (technically half, but the rewritten section is twice as long as what it was before). Oh well, finicky inspiration aside, I'm way more pleased with this chapter now, and hopefully all of you will be too (not like you ever knew what the original was, and you never will, because it's crap. Into the incinerator with ye!). Thanks for giving me the green light to remake this chapter, even though time turned out to not be an issue. I won't make any promises, not after what happened with this chapter, but I'll try my damndest to get the next chapter out in a week or two. Remember, next time is Nephtis's past, so you've got a lot to look forward to!

I'd also like to point out how ironic and sad my last comment was on chapter 18: "So, with any luck, it'll be a big boost to my will to write; not like I've never said that before, but one can always hope." This just proves that not only is fate a cruel mistress, but also one with a really twisted sense of humor. Thanks a lot, lady.


	21. Chapter 20: Fallen Empires

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 20: Fallen Empires

By Genoscythe

AN: Twenty dollars to the person who can find the X2: Eternal War quote in this chapter (not really, but at least feel proud of yourself if you do). Here's a hint: The quote's from chapter 15.

* * *

Marx awoke with a start, banging his head on a lamp over his head. A lamp? What was a lamp doing in the middle of the wastelands? But, Marx quickly realized, he was no longer in the wastelands. He was in Cain Laboratories, that much he could tell from the Maverick Hunter insignia on the door and on the shoulder of the Lifesaver standing before him. A Lifesaver... _how bad was I? _Marx thought as he looked down at his arm that was shattered in the fall.

He almost cried out when he saw that his arm was a grotesque metal skeleton from the elbow down. He looked to the Lifesaver, who was standing stoically and indifferent in typical Lifesaver fashion. "Where's my arm?" He demanded, trying to steady his voice.

"Your arm was irreparable, as were both your legs. These crude replacements will be covered as soon as the synthetic skin arrives, so do not worry about your appearance." The Lifesaver's voice was bland and toneless. Marx briefly wondered if Lifesavers were all robots.

"...my legs?" His face blanched as he looked down, afraid of what he would see. Dull gray metal shaped in the form of a human skeleton was all that was left of his legs. With a shudder, Marx looked up at the Lifesaver again. He didn't like being reminded of what he was underneath his skin. "How soon can you make me look normal again?"

"The skin should be here in approximately three minutes, and after that it should be a matter of fifteen or twenty to apply it to your arm and legs." _Damn, it's like talking to a computer. _Marx sighed at this response. _I just hope to god nobody walks in and sees me like this... _As soon as he thought this, he rapped his knuckles on the table three times. "I have several messages for you," the reploid medic continued. "One is from your commander, Megaman X. He wants you to contact him as soon as you're able."

"My commander? There's gotta be a mistake, then. I'm in the 15th."

"Apparently, you aren't anymore." The Lifesaver responded.

"...I'm not?" Marx said stupidly. _More importantly, how did X survive?_

"That is exactly what I said. As of 8:34 AM, you are a hunter of the 17th Maverick Hunter Division." Marx couldn't suppress a smile. Somehow, he had avoided being stuck with the loser division for even a single mission. "I also have another message, though it was requested that I not tell you this. A woman was here earlier. Mechanic Class A, Nephtis." Marx's eyes widened considerably at this. _Nephtis was here...? Is he serious? Is there another Nephtis that I don't know about?_

"Why? Was she trying to take the rest of me apart?"

"Not that I was aware of. She sat at that table and watched you for approximately forty five minutes. I was happy to inform her that your systems were about to restart, but she became frightened and left immediately." The Lifesaver's voice droned on. _I can't believe this...For all the misery she's been putting me through, she cared enough to see me. Some way to show your emotions , lady. But, if this means that she likes me, then maybe I have a chance after all. _Marx was fairly certain that the grin on his face was idiotic, but he could care less.

"And she told you not to tell me that she was here?"

"Yes, sir. As soon as she got here." Marx was elated, but then another thought occurred to him.

"If she told you not to tell me, then why did you?" He asked curiously. Then, perhaps the biggest shock of the day occurred right before his eyes. The Lifesaver unit smiled!

"I derive a twisted sort of pleasure from tampering with people's lives." The Lifesaver said, his voice still monotone but his face becoming uncharacteristically animated. _Wait a second, _Marx wondered. He looked down at the repairs this Lifesaver had made on him. How far did this guy like to mess with people's lives!

"Don't worry," the Lifesaver assured him when he saw the terrified look on Marx's face. "I'm not _that _sadistic. Your limbs are fine." Marx was wholly unconvinced. "It's an inconvenient personality glitch. Nothing to worry about, or else I would not be here at the moment." He explained. Wearily, Marx nodded his head and looked again at his horrific metal limbs. He hoped they would fix him soon; he didn't want to look like this the next time he saw Nephtis.

* * *

Marx arrived at their apartment room less than an hour later to find Nephtis sitting at the table, fiddling with a blue ball on the table. He arched an eyebrow as he moved closer. As assured as he was of her feelings toward him, he was hurt that she didn't even acknowledge that he was there. He was nearly behind her when he realized what it was that she was tinkering with. It was Darius!

"Hey!" He cried out. "What are you doing with him?" Nephtis craned her neck and cast him a steely, dark-eyed glance. She flipped Darius back onto his feet and pressed a button on the side of his head. His eyes flickered to life, and Marx was astonished by what his roommate had done to him. Its helmet now matched the color of his armor, and a large, stylish 'D' was painted in green where the red cross once was. There appeared to be some kind of creamy gray plate armor on his underside, and a rectangle that Marx guessed was a voice modulator stuck out almost like a tiny goatee just below and between his bulbous eyes.

Marx was speechless, but for once, Darius was not. _Hello Marx. Feeling better? _It said in a dull, tinny voice. Marx then noticed that Nephtis was smiling at him.

"That's the only phrase I programmed into him for now. All I really did was repaint him, add some armor on the bottom, and install a high-energy beam cannon into his helmet."

"Sounds coo- you installed what?" It took a split second for Marx to realize what she had said. _What in god's name does a pet need a beam cannon for? _

"Oh, come on. You don't want the little guy to be defenseless, do you?" She asked sweetly, hugging Darius close to her breast. Once again, Marx found himself wishing he were in his metool's place.

"I guess this is what you spent so much of our credits on?" He asked warily. Casting a glance at the pile of boxes in the corner, he noticed it was considerably smaller.

"Jesus, can't you be happy for once?" She reprimanded. Without a reply, Marx stalked over to the thrashed refrigerator and whipped out a can of Juice Up. The Lifesaver had neglected to refuel him while he was unconscious, and he needed energy badly.

"Been anywhere today?" He asked abruptly. It was now or never.

"No." She answered without skipping a beat. _Damn, she's good at sounding honest._

"You sure?"

"Would've said yes if I had." She replied almost too quickly. Marx sighed. _Guess it's time for tactic #2. _He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"You're not getting out of it this time. I wanna know your story, and you're telling it if Sigma himself knocks down the door and kidnaps you."

She smiled, showing off her beautiful dimples. "Just out of curiosity, what would you do if that actually happened?" All the hardness had left her voice, and Marx could only remember two other times that she had been so beautiful: Before the battle at the HQ and after he had bared his soul to her two nights prior.

"Well, first, I'd track you down. Then, I'd tear Sigma limb from limb. Then, I'd rescue the damsel in distress and receive my just reward."

She batted her eyelashes. "Just reward? Hearing about my past life is good enough for a courageous and mighty warrior such as yourself?"

"It'll do, yeah."

"Alright. I guess I at least owe it to you for telling me yours." She said finally. _That's what I've been saying the whole goddamn time! _Marx thought, but he kept the words in his head. He didn't want to ruin this moment for anything in the world.

"Okay. Promise me that you won't think badly of me when I'm done." She pleaded. He nodded, and she continued. "Do you remember reading about the Byblos Empire in that book of mythology I let you borrow?" Marx shook his head. "It was the empire that Osiris established in the Underworld to govern lost souls. Now, are you sure this name doesn't sound familiar to you at all?"

"Doesn't ring any bells," Marx answered.

"Okay, then. Check your memory database for newspaper articles about the Byblos Empire." She asked. He raised an eyebrow. What would a mythological empire be doing in a newspaper article? He did as he was told, though. When he finally found a match in his database, his face blanched. The headline was from an old newspaper on the street; Marx's memory had kept an image of it, like it did with every bit of information he ever came across.

* * *

**Byblos Emperor Dethroned!**

Massive underground crime syndicate consumed in internal power struggle!

* * *

"...there's a real Byblos Empire?"

"Yes."

"It's a crime syndicate?"

"Was, yes."

"...and you were part of it?"

"More than just part of it. Let me start at the beginning, now that you have some idea of what I'm talking about." Nephtis cleared her throat. "There was once a great Egyptian thief named Adom, a human thief, who was as skilled as any reploid and feared the world over. However, this thief grew old, as humans do, and wasn't ready to die without a legacy. He ordered three reploids to be created: Me, my brother Osiris, and my sister Isis." _Wow, she's a good storyteller, _Marx thought in the back of his mind. Or, perhaps this was the way she always talked when she wasn't yelling her head off?

"He created us to pass on his vision of an honorable crime syndicate, one that could benefit the poor and oppressed. Being such an amazing thief, Adom was able to put millions of credits into endowing my brother with advanced tactical and combat skills, the likes of which that could rival or beat any reploid on Earth. Our rise to power was swift and painless. We started on a large Chaser gang in Cairo, decimating their members and offering peace when they were thoroughly humbled. We moved on to absorb countless gangs and Mafia into our fold, until my brother was coordinating hundreds of thefts and battles every day."

Nephtis gave a sigh. "My brother, and my sister Isis...they fell in love. I guess it's not all that strange, since technically reploids can't have brothers or sisters, but it still didn't sit well with me. I backed out of the spotlight, and merely spent my time milling about the huge underground fortress my brother had created. I no longer voted in meetings, and I distanced myself from my 'family'. I started to spend more and more time outside the fortress, mingling with the commoners and using my real name."

Marx raised an eyebrow. "Your real name? It's not Nephtis?" She gave a curt laugh.

"No, and neither is my brother's name Osiris or my sister Isis. My real name is Akila, and my brother's Kontar. I...vowed never to speak my sister's real name again."

"Akila..." Marx spoke softly, testing how the words sounded in his mouth. "It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd say that."

"Most guys do?"

"Mmhmm."

"Can't blame em. Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Call me whatever you want. The Byblos Empire is dead, and I only use Nephtis out of habit." It wasn't the romantic response Marx had been hoping for, but it would have to do. _Akila... _He was surprised to realize how hard he was falling for her. He said her name a few more times in his head, savoring the sound of it. "Anyway, everything was fine, for awhile. The Legion of Osiris, as it was called then, was becoming huge. My brother had to build a second fortress, and appointed a relative newcomer in our court to commandeer it. The codename he took up was Set...God, I should have seen it coming..."

"Saw what coming?"

"Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, once the second fortress was built and Set appointed its leader, the Legion of Osiris was renamed the Byblos Empire to fit the mythological theme we had adopted. It was around this time that other people got the idea that they could form huge crime syndicates as well, but most of them only fell under our banner. One of the largest, the Red Alert Syndicate, was the only one that never interacted with the Byblos Empire.

Maybe Red saw that Osiris was becoming driven by a hunger for more power. Maybe he saw what Set was really like. Maybe he knew long before Set ever joined us, and kept his distance from the inevitable. Whether he saw it coming or not, after Set betrayed us, he was there to pick up the pieces."

"...so Set betrayed you and killed your brother?"

"Let me try to explain it..."

* * *

_I was in the baths when __Isis__ came to me that morning. "Little one, Osiris wants you at the Council Meeting in five." She said to me, her voice full of disdain. I bore it well; I had gotten used to her looking down on me. However, I noticed extra venom in her voice this morning, especially how she had specifically said _Osiris _wanted me, and not her. It was nothing, I had mentally disowned her long ago._

_"Tell him that a woman requires decency in the presence of the council. I'll need ten minutes to get dressed and become presentable." I said haughtily, tossing waves of wet hair behind my bare back. __Isis__ scoffed._

_"You needn't worry about becoming presentable." She muttered as she turned on her heels and slipped through the doorway, long translucent gown trailing behind her. What was wrong with me? I looked down at myself, running a hand from breasts to thighs. Was I flawed somehow? What made her hate me so? As I stepped out of the small private bath and shook the water from my hair, I looked in a mirror on the wall._

_No, there were no flaws. Perfectly shaped, just as Adom had ordered me. I couldn't imagine how any man, or even many women, wouldn't think me to be 'presentable'. But then, maybe that was the problem. Maybe __Isis__ was jealous of me? In many ways, she was less endowed than I was. As I wrapped a towel around my body and began drying my hair, it became crystal clear to me. __Isis__ feared the control I had over people. She wanted to keep me believing that I was inferior, putting me down so I wouldn't think of usurping her place._

_Throwing the towel aside and slipping into one of the dresses hanging from the wall, I made my way outside and down the triangular corridor. I was on the top level of Osiris's fortress, which was shaped like an upside-down pyramid, and to my left I could see pipes and machinery in the earth through the transparent wall. Due to the odd shape of the fortress, it required huge pylons attached to the roof and secured in the rock wall above to keep it upright. The entire outer wall was transparent, and appeared to be golden on the outside. The only entrance was through a tunnel that led from the surface to the top floor of the fortress. Truly, it was a marvel of engineering, if not entirely practical._

_Making only a brief stop in her room to fasten golden bracelets and a ruby-studded headband onto my body, I made her way to one of the four diagonal elevators situated on the four sides of the fortress. When I arrived at the base of the pyramid, where the entire fortress came to a point above the sedimentary floor, I stepped out into the meeting hall. Three of the elevators converged onto the waiting area, where visitors were required to kneel until Osiris gave them permission to proceed up the stairway into the main chamber._

_Standing omnipresent before the stairway were my brother's bodyguards, Sekhmet and Amemait. I had become friends with Sekhmet, for she wasn't much different from myself. Amemait, however, was a different story altogether. A long, ridged crocodile head sat atop a golden headdress, swiveling about and keeping constant vigil. Its arms were thick like old Greek columns, and full of pistons that made its crushing blows all the stronger. Its hands were paws, like a lion's, and could extend deadly serrated claws. Its legs, like its arms, were thick and cylindrical, except they had been made to resemble a hippopotamus._

_Amemait never showed emotion, and never spoke. I was, and am to this day, convinced that it was a mechaniloid. If it was, then it was a damn smart one. Fortunately, this particular elevator opened on Sekhmet's side of the waiting chamber, and I was relieved to be far away from the intimidating beast. Sekhmet was silent as I slipped past her, but I brushed my fingertips along her forearm as I passed as a form of greeting. I dared not open my mouth to interrupt the council meeting taking place atop the golden stairway. I saw a smile from beneath Sekhmet's lion-shaped helmet before ascending the steps and finding myself in the midst of an argument._

_Directly before me, across the gilded floor, sat Osiris at an ornate throne, clad in full battle armor as he always was these days. His armor was the color of pure gold, and his shoulders, gauntlets, and helmet were adorned with feather-shaped blades. His right eye was covered by an extension of his helmet, a black circle that melded seamlessly to the rest of his headgear. Wrapped tightly in his black gloved hand was a double-edged spear, its edges faintly glowing crimson._

_My brother gripped the spear's shaft all the tighter as he stood. "Set is on his way; he'll have the reports we need."_

_"If you are nearly as omnipotent as you seem to be, you would make him get here faster!" Exclaimed Geb, one of my brother's appointed council members. I cared not for him; he was short, unnaturally thin, and rank with deceit. However, I had nothing to fear from him, for he was as weak a reploid as there ever was, and he was virtually powerless to oppose my brother._

_My brother looked at the golden chairs lining the walls, all of them filled by various types of reploids. "We're in no rush. The Deutche Bank has sat in __Zurich__ for hundreds of years, it's not likely to disappear in the next half hour."_

_"We need those supplies on the Puerto Rican front!" Hathor, a war hawk if ever there was one, rose to his feet. "Our armies are almost as exhausted as the Americans are. If we don't gain the upper hand immediately..." Hathor trailed off, knowing that everyone could follow where he was going with his statement. I never knew much about this 'Puerto Rican front', but if I remember correctly, a faction of the Empire was working to free __Puerto Rico__ from the __USA__ and become a free nation. The Empire was becoming more like an army than an underworld syndicate._

_"Our soldiers can wait half an hour." Osiris calmly replied. Hathor returned to his seat, and I smiled inwardly. I had always liked that Hathor knew when to keep his mouth shut. Finally, Osiris noticed me, leaning against a column on the other side of the room. "Calm yourselves. It doesn't do to carry on in front of a lady," he said, walking to me. From behind the throne, I could see __Isis__ staring daggers at me._

_"Especially in front of one so lovely," A calm, controlled voice sailed up from the depths of the staircase._

_"Set," Osiris stated. "You're early."_

_The owner of the voice came into view, sending a shiver down my spine. Set was the worst parts of a reptile and an insect melded into one. His back was tall and straight, his legs bowed backward. His head was a bald dome of chitin, slitted eyes staring out from beneath thick exoskeleton. His two pairs of mandibles, made entirely for show, clattered together hungrily. Unlike most reploids, he wore little armor apart from a silver breastplate that held a tattered black cloak to his body and a pair of gauntlets on his arms. These gauntlets had paper-thin slits, but for what purpose I didn't know._

_"I was eager to share my good news with you all!" Set exclaimed, throwing out his slender, skeleton-like arms. Immediately, Osiris's visible eye narrowed. He strode toward Set, and the black beast eyed him with vigor. My brother's free hand shot out, clamping down on Set's thick reptilian neck._

_"I don't tolerate treachery, especially not from one so trusted as you," Osiris said, his voice as calm as it had been in the tumultuous council meeting moments before. "Know that I will kill you in fifteen seconds if you don't present to me a good reason for this behavior."_

_"My Lord...I have news of the Deutche heist! That's all!" Set exclaimed, his eyes brimming with fear. My brother looked convinced by this show, but I saw through it. After spending so much time in the outside world, I began to recognize emotions more clearly than my brother. Now, I knew that Set was insincere, and I prayed my brother saw the same thing._

_"That's no reason to be so excited." My brother's grip tightened, and a weight lifted from my heart._

_"I can assure you, the news I have is exciting enough." Set continued. "Let me up and I'll explain." Osiris said nothing, then without a word he released the humanoid. As my brother walked back to his throne, he called to his bodyguards._

_"Sekhmet! Amemait! Make sure Set stays on his knees." Said he as he took his place at the throne. I swiftly made my way across the floor to stand at my brother's side. I leaned over to speak in his ear._

_"Set is lying. You should kill him now," I spoke softly so that not even __Isis__ behind us could hear._

_"Such a brash action would cause chaos at the Ra fortress. They need a leader, after all."_

_"They don't need a traitor."_

_"We can't be sure yet, Akila. Let him reveal himself, and we'll go from there." He said, firmly squeezing my hand. My heart fluttered whenever he spoke my real name, and more so when he held my hand. I returned the discreet gesture, then stood back behind the throne next to __Isis_

_The dark haired witch stepped over to me and touched my shoulder. "Your breath is quickening, little one." I looked up at her black eyes, almost a full foot above mine._

_"It's nothing. I just have some worries about Set."_

_"We all worry about Set. That's why Osiris keeps him tight on his leash. What I see in your eyes now is something different. I see love."_

_"What, for Set?" I asked incredulously. I was vaguely aware that Osiris was talking again, but I paid no heed to it._

_"For Osiris." __Isis__ corrected._

_"Don't be ridiculous. He's my brother!"_

_"He's mine too," she said with a twisted smile. "And you know as well as I do that this sibling act is merely a show." I said nothing. But then, Osiris's words suddenly boomed through the chamber._

_"That's enough! I _will _let you live, if you leave right now. I'm no fool, Tempest. I know what you're after." Both Isis and I looked back to the center of the throne room, where Set remained kneeling. There was an unnerving glint in his eyes, however, that sent my blood curdling._

_"Just out of curiosity, my lord, what _am _I after?"_

_"You want control over the Empire." Osiris stated. Set suddenly broke into a hideous laugh, one that echoed around the room._

_"That's not it at all. But allow me to ask you one more question before I explain. Why haven't you killed me yet?" My brother stood._

_"I'm curious to see how you think you can challenge me, that's all." Osiris said, his voice calm as always._

_"Conceited fool," Set whispered as he bowed his head. "You really have become drunk with power..." I caught a discreet motion with his right hand, and by the time I noticed that he had pressed a button on his gauntlet, it was already too late. An explosion ripped through the hall as Amemait's head blossomed into a pillar of fire and a bloodcurdling roar escaped its jaws. The massive reploid fell forward, the back of its head obliterated. Before Sekhmet or my brother could react, another explosion could be heard. This one, however, was far above our heads._

_The fortress rocked twice, then shook with the sound of rending metal. I held my breath, and a second later the fortress came free of its anchor and plummeted into the cavern floor below. Being on the bottom floor, the blow wasn't well received. Huge sections of the floor were cracked and pulverized, and dirt sprayed into the room through the cracks as the lights flickered out. My brother leaned on his staff for balance, as the fortress then began tilting._

_With an earthshaking thud, the fortress came to rest against the cavern wall. Without wasting any time, Set- or should I say Tempest?- dashed forward. He was before my brother in the blink of an eye, and I looked on in shock as a pair of katars snapped out of Tempest's gauntlets and flashed toward Osiris. My brother twirled his staff and batted away Tempest's attack, countering with a stab of his own that missed by a hair's breadth as Tempest ducked down._

_All of this happened in mere moments. In this time, half of the council members had fled and the other half had drawn weapons. I clenched my teeth, hoping none would fire. The last thing I wanted was for a stray shot to kill my brother instead of his assailant. I looked back to the two combatants in front of the throne, to see them exchanging blows at a lightning fast pace. Osiris moved like water, every movement flowing together. A parry, a whirl of his staff, and Tempest was on the defensive. However, I was a bit surprised. Tempest was holding up frighteningly well, matching every one of Osiris's strikes with one from his katars._

_I clenched my fist, both wanting someone to help him and at the same time not wanting to endanger Osiris. I was powerless; I had no built-in weapons like my sister and I certainly didn't have any on me. By all rights, I should have fled like the council members. Faithfulness to my brother kept me glued to the spot, however._

_My chest tightened as I saw an opening in Osiris's defenses. Tempest had made a vertical swipe with his left arm, pinning my brother's staff to the ground. In the same instant, he struck with his right arm, burying the entire blade into Osiris's side. I screamed involuntarily, but my brother recovered. He freed his staff and held it high in the air for a split second, then brought it crashing down into Tempest's arm, still buried in his side. The faintly glowing, serrated blade ripped his arm off at the elbow, and the sheer force behind it buried it into the ground._

_Tempest let out a guttural howl, stumbling back and looking at Osiris with fear and anger in his eyes. The entire room was still for one long second, then everything erupted in light and sound as the three remaining council members fired their guns. Tempest was already on the move, and by the time their bullets had reached where their target was, Tempest's remaining katar was buried in Hathor's neck._

_The monstrous reploid pushed off of Hathor's body and vaulted onto Atum, another of the council members I respected, knocking him to the ground and slamming his katar into Atum's chest. Tempest drove his blade upward as he stood, splitting Atum's head as he did so. The only remaining council member was Horus, Osiris's favorite. As Tempest charged, I wondered why my brother did nothing to stop the slaughter of his most loyal followers. Then, I realized with a shock, my brother was lying face down on the cracked floor._

_Ignoring the danger, ignoring the cries of Horus as he was cut down, ignoring __Isis__'s calls, I ran to my brother and scooped him up into my arms. His eye was closed – I could tell he was still alive, if only on auxiliary power. Tears ran freely from my eyes, making dark splotches on Osiris's robust golden breastplate._

_"So, all that remains are the two lovely ladies." I heard Tempest's voice. It sounded unnaturally human, when looking at his physical features. "I certainly can't kill you, can I?" For the first time, I looked away from my brother's pallid face and at the traitor. His black cloak now looked as if someone had thrown a red paint bucket at it, and his entire left arm was slick with blood. Of his right arm, only a stump dripping ichor remained._

_"No..." I whispered, clutching my brother's staff stuck into the ground. "You couldn't." I said flatly. I couldn't believe what was happening._

_Tempest burst into laughter. "I can murder your council members, kill your brother, and destroy your empire. But no. Rape is far beyond even me," he said sarcastically. He took a step forward, and my grip tightened on the staff. Why wasn't __Isis__ doing anything? Tempest took another slow, deliberate step forward. God, he was enjoying the tension in my eyes._

_Suddenly, something massive bounded out of the darkness and slammed into the cloaked figure, tossing him across the room. With wide eyes, I saw Amemait rear back and issue a deafening roar. On its back, Sekhmet stood, thick cables running from her gauntlets into Amemait's back. She was bent in the same animalistic posture that it was, and I realized that she must have slaved Amemait's body controls to her processor. Every move she made, the beast she rode would do the same. They were linked through the cables, and now they were more one reploid than two._

_Tempest stood, swaying a bit. The blow had apparently shaken up some of his circuitry. I briefly looked in disgust at my sister, who nearly stood right next to him and did nothing to stop him. Why hadn't she used her built-in weapons? Sekhmet charged again, her mind controlling Amemait's legs while her arms reached out to grab Tempest. Still disoriented, he was caught immediately in the reploid's massive paws and flung across the room._

_He landed with a crack against one of the council member's chairs, with Amemait bounding after him. This time though, he was quick to recover. When Sekhmet reached for him again, he leapt up and landed on Amemait's wrist. He ran up the length of its arm, hopped onto its ruined head, and now stared at Sekhmet face to face._

_"You're putting up a better fight than your master did. Maybe you should have been the Emperor?"_

_"Shut up, bastard." Sekhmet growled in her thickly accented voice. Amemait's crocodile jaws moved to match her mouth. "If Osiris doesn't make it, then there'll be no afterlife for you!"_

_Tempest chuckled. "What a disappointment. But then...I'm not planning on dying soon." He lunged, but Sekhmet ordered Amemait to duck. The beast pressed its massive body against the ground, and Tempest sailed over her head. With a smirk, Sekhmet flicked Amemait's crocodile tail upward and smashed it into the side of Tempest's head. The dark form skidded into the center of the room. He didn't immediately get up._

_Almost as if I were watching a movie, I was helpless as my sister dashed from behind the throne. Amemait had reared up, preparing for the final blow, when __Isis__ leapt onto its back and grabbed Sekhmet by the throat. As the flesh of her forearm parted and a blade sharp as diamonds extended out of it, I found my voice. I screamed as she drove the blade through Sekhmet's head, and ended the life of the one woman whom I wouldn't be ashamed to call my sister._

_Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Amemait slumped heavily to the ground and rolled on its side as __Isis__ jumped off. A twisting, horrifying knot choked off my heart as the blade protruding from her arm retracted and the skin sealed away any evidence of my sister's strange gift. My hands were leaden; I dropped my brother's body as I stood. I was awestruck that __Isis__ had turned on us (no, more like turned on _me_, because now I was the only one left alive)._

_"What...why...?" Words fled from my mind, replaced with insurmountable horror._

_"Why?" __Isis__ strode over to me. "Because, little one, we are finished. Look around. Atum, Hathor, Horus. All of them are dead, and the others have run away. Look at Osiris. Tempest damaged his reactor, and he can't survive on auxiliary for much longer. Our fortress is in ruins! If I had let Sekhmet kill Tempest, we'd be left with nothing." Isis looked at where Tempest lay, the dark form already stirring. "He's strong, maybe even stronger than Osiris. We still have a chance if we go with him."_

_"What?" Anger found my voice for me. "Are you out of your mind! He's a murderer and a backstabber! He wanted to _rape _me!"_

_Isis looked at the floor for a moment, then looked at Tempest. "Murderer or not, I have a chance at survival with him. I can understand if you wouldn't want to come with us," and she added with a wry grin, "I'd actually prefer that. I'm tired of you stealing my spotlight every time you show your face." I stared daggers at her. "Listen, I can understand what you must feel right now, so let me try to make amends. I'll leave with Tempest, and make sure he can't come back for you. There. That's the best I can do."_

_I said nothing. I wanted to scream, to hurl the spear through her heart and rip Tempest's head off where he lay, but the staff was stuck fast in the ground and I began to feel strangely weak. Instead of doing all the things I wanted to, I sank to my knees and broke into tears. Without another word, __Isis__ stepped over to Tempest and placed a hand on his forehead. She must have been linking their transport coordinates, for the next thing I knew, both of them disappeared in a flash of light._

_I was now alone in the room, with my brother's body at my feet. I tried to stem the tide of tears, but they only intensified. I felt violated, betrayed by people I had once trusted, if not liked. Now, they had left me with nothing. __Isis__ might as well have let Tempest have his way with me. I no longer cared._

_The form before me stirred, and my sobs caught in my throat. "Akila, my beautiful sister..." Osiris spoke softly. "I should have known this would happen. I'm sorry...really, I am." I tentatively wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him into my lap. "My power's running out; I just have one last thing to say to you before you need to leave."_

_"Kontar..." I tried to say more, but my words were choked back by sobs._

_"I love you, Akila. I'm sorry...when __Isis__ seduced me, you started avoiding me. Between running the Empire and tending to personal affairs, I didn't have any time to pursue my feelings for you. Now, I know what a mistake that was. Beyond your beauty, your intelligence is something I could only dream of in a woman. Your sense of honor and justice, pretty much everything that sets you apart from your sister, is what has captivated me," he chuckled mirthlessly at this. "Once again, I'm sorry. All of this, from beginning to end, has been my fault. Now, I want you to leave and activate the fortress's self destruct sequence. Nobody can know about what we've done here..."_

_"I don't believe it..." I whispered between tears. "Kontar...I thought you knew. I thought you knew that I loved you. Didn't I make it obvious enough?"_

_"Apparently, not obvious...enough," Osiris said, struggling to force out the words. "It's good to know that my love wasn't unrequited though. Something to take with me to the afterlife."_

_Tears clattered on his armor as I took off his helmet and stroked his raven black hair. "You're the god of the underworld. You aren't supposed to die..."_

_"I wish it were so, Akila." Osiris closed his eyes. Overcome with emotion, I bent down and gently brushed my lips against his. As I feared, his lips were cold and unresponsive. Osiris was out of auxiliary power. The last thing in this world that I cared about was gone.

* * *

_

"That's..." Marx began, but he was unable to find the right word to finish his sentence.

"After that, I started drifting." Nephtis continued, seeming to ignore the look of rage and disgust on Marx's face. "I didn't care what happened to me or where I ended up; I don't even remember what happened during most of that time. All I know is that, at some point or another, I decided to do something with my life again. I was staying in Neo Tokyo at the time, hiding from Interpol. After all, I was one of the only members of the Empire that hadn't been confirmed dead at the site of the fortress's destruction."

"So...you decided to join up with the Maverick Hunters," Marx concluded, still feeling sick.

"Yes. To atone for the things I had done in my past."

"Didn't you ever try to avenge your broth - I mean, Osiris?"

Nephtis laughed bitterly. "At the start, the thought crossed my mind. However, as I started to shut myself off from the rest of the world, I found myself caring less and less. Besides, if I had tried to kill Tempest, I wouldn't still be alive."

Marx was overwhelmed by what she had just told him. What was even more overwhelming was that she had told him without batting an eye nor shedding a tear. _I guess that's why she seems so distant all the time... _he thought. Darius looked at him inquisitively through Nephtis's arms, and he looked away from the little robot's penetrating gaze. He paced over to the window.

"I...need some time to think," he said finally. "This is a little hard to take." Nephtis bowed her head. Though Marx wasn't looking, he heard a soft patter, like a raindrop, land on Darius's helmet.

**End of chapter 20**

AN: There's one hell of a chapter for you all. 18 pages on Microsoft word! I think that's a new record...but I needed a big chapter to tell Nephtis's backstory. Sorry if you got bored reading all of this at once, but it would've just seemed awkward if I had broken it up into bite-sized chunks like the other chapters are. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed finding out one of the bigger mysteries that's come along in the story so far. By the way, Akila roughly means 'intelligent' and Kontar means 'only son' in Egyptian (according to some website)


	22. Chapter 21: Preparations

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 21: Preparations

By Genoscythe

AN: Hey everyone, glad to hear from you all. Yes, Tempest is working with the Mavericks (In fact, his name was mentioned in the beginning of chapter 19), and yes, the quote was really obscure. If you really want to find it though, I'll give you another hint: The quote is thought by X when he's talking to the Lifesaver, and again by Marx when he's in a similar situation.

PS: If you noticed any spacing errors or missing words in my previous chapters, it's because Fanfiction dot net (apparently it won't let me put in internet addresses, so I've gotta spell out the dot for you to even see the address) hates Word format. I think I fixed this by using HTML format again, but let's all cross our fingers just in case.

* * *

It was just past noon by the time Marx had finished lunch. Darius chirped happily, rolling about on the glass restaurant table. Marx shared none of the little robot's sunny disposition. _Congratulations Marx, _he thought, absently staring at his drink. _You managed to fall in love with an international criminal. Of all the women in Neo Tokyo, it had to be her, didn't it? _He tossed back the rest of his drink. _I was expecting a lot, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting that._

Shortly after Nephtis was finished, he left the apartment without a word, Darius in tow. He needed to get away for a bit, so he found a cheap restaurant and used the last of his pocket change to buy a hamburger and some weak reploid beer. It hadn't gone down well, but then, what _would_ if you had just found out that your crush was once part of the world's largest crime syndicate? He had taken Darius along for support, but it turned out that the cheery metool didn't help matters much.

Sighing, angry that the meal hadn't taken his mind off of Nephtis, he remembered something that might. He felt for the tiny nub beneath his skin, just behind his left ear. He depressed it, and his comm. link activated. Marx found X's frequency in his memory, and sent out a call.

_"Marx?" _The soft voice answered.

"Hey, X. How'd you make it?"

_"Huh?"_

"That maverick," Marx began. "Don't tell me you forgot already. That thing blew the disposal plant into bite-sized pieces, and you were in the middle of it!"

_"Oh, that." _X said as if it were nothing. _"While I was being repaired, __Douglas__ whipped up a program to absorb the maverick's kinetic energy."_

"...just like that?" Marx's eyes were wide. It had been a matter of three hours since X was sent back to HQ until he appeared on the roof of the disposal plant.

_"You'd be amazed at what __Douglas__ can do under pressure. So, when I tackled the thing, I absorbed all of its energy and released it as safely as I could."_

Marx couldn't help but laugh. "Safely?"

_"Trust me, none of us would have survived if the explosion were at its original potency."_

"So you survived because _you _released the energy."

_"That's right."_

"Alright..." Marx would let it drop at that. He had more pressing things to ask X about. "The Lifesaver said you wanted me to call you. He also said that I'm part of the 17th division now. So, what gives?"

_"Heh.__ It was Zero's suggestion, really. He said that anyone who could keep up with him and Axl deserved better than the 15th. I believe him. I'm impressed you made it."_

"I didn't exactly keep up with them..." Marx said, suddenly feeling the need to be modest. "I was more like a spectator for the whole thing."

_"It's still an accomplishment that you made it back in one piece. Err... I mean, less than five pieces." _X corrected himself, and Marx grimaced. He shifted his right arm, and heard a disquieting metallic scrape from his new joint. _It's only temporary, _he told himself.

"So it doesn't matter that I'm not even cleared for combat?"

_"I'd say you passed the test with flying colors, wouldn't you?"_

Marx chuckled. "I got my arm and legs broken, but sure."

_"That's nothing. At least you're still alive, right?"_

"Small consolidation," Marx muttered, picking up Darius and kicking in the chair as he left the tiny restaurant. "So, why'd you tell me to call you?"

_"Zero wants to celebrate for the battle yesterday, so he's throwing a little party out on the docks tonight. You're invited, if you've got nothing else to do." _Marx was surprised at this. They still didn't know him very well, and already they were inviting him to parties? It was definitely flattering, but a bit unusual nonetheless.

"Ah...sure. Sounds great," he said, not sure what to say. "I'm free."

_"You can invite more people if you want. This isn't a private affair."_

"Come on, X. Say it like you mean it," Marx said with a chuckle.

_"These are Zero's words, not mine. I've never been much of a crowd person."_

"Don't worry about it, I'm only inviting one more." Darius chirped. "Make that two."

_"Fine with me.__ So far it's just me, Alia, Selene, Axl, and Zero. Things aren't turning out quite like Zero wanted them to be."_

"He was hoping for more?"

_"Problem is, everybody's afraid to party with Zero."_

Marx raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He heard a chuckle on the other end.

_"We're meeting by the west entrance at 8." _With that, X cut the link. Marx paused, a sense of foreboding filling him. Then, he shook it off and continued walking down the street. Now, he was ready to face Nephtis again.

* * *

"This man came to me last night, in a dream," Sigma began. Tread Havoc leaned against a wall, resting the long cannon on his shoulder against the cold metal. "He told me he came from Elysium, and that if I followed his instructions, we could wipe this world clean!" Havoc nodded. He already knew all this. "He even told me where it is." Havoc raised an eyebrow. _Juno was trusting enough to tell Sigma that? _He thought. 

"Think of it, Havoc!" Sigma continued. "Our holy war is almost at an end! We can return this planet to the glory it once held..." _Before humanity interfered, _Havoc added. "However, the man told me something else. He said there was a faction at Elysium that opposed them. They think like Megaman X, that the human race can somehow be salvaged. He said that as we speak, they're manipulating him to their ends. We've got to work quickly."

"What? Just abandon our forces here?"

"Essentially, yes. Once we reach Elysium, our forces here will become irrelevant."

"This is quite a risk. How do you even know it exists? You said it happened in a dream."

A smile broadened on Sigma's bald head. "You know it's not. I saw it in your eyes when I first said the name. You know what it is, where it is, and possibly more," he said. Havoc was unable to hide the surprise on his face. _How did he learn all of that so quickly? _Now it was Havoc's turn to smile.

"You're no fool, Sigma. Juno was right to trust you so quickly." Havoc said. Sigma raised an eyebrow as if to question how he was suddenly so wise. "I wasn't turned maverick through conventional means," he explained. "I was disabled by one of Elysium's purifiers, and they rewrote my processor." Sigma took an intimidating step forward, distrust growing in his eyes. "Don't worry, as long as our goals remain the same, I'm on your side. However, know right now that I'm loyal to Elysium first and foremost."

Sigma nodded his head. "A fair warning, but I have one of my own. I am not one to trifle with, and if I see a hint of deception in you, I'll rip you in half."

Havoc nodded in kind. "Like I said, our goals are the same, and I see no reason why they would change." He opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment an incredible pulsing in his head shattered his thoughts. He fell to his knees, gripping the side of his olive helmet with a gloved fist. It almost felt like something was inside his head, and it was growing too big to be contained within. He let out a guttural growl as the pain intensified and the pulsing quickened.

"Havoc?" Sigma inquired, making no move to help his lieutenant.

"Nothing...sir," he grunted. Faintly, as if a whisper in his ear, he heard someone yelling _Get__ out of my head! _The voice was his own. Havoc understood at once. This body's previous identity hadn't been completely erased by Eden. "You're a willful one" he said to the voice.

_I never gave in to the virus, I won't give in to you!_

"Please, stop this. It's no more than an annoyance, but an annoyance is something I don't need right now."

_Damn you, give me back my body!_

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. This is no longer your body."

_...bastard. You're worse than the mavericks._

"Fool. You have no idea what we're trying to accomplish, do you? You've blinded yourself, like the other Maverick Hunters, to the infestation plaguing your world. Humans are killing this planet, and if we don't do something soon, there won't be anything left of it."

_You can't kill innocent people like this. I know what you're gonna do, but it's not going to happen._

"Why...are you resisting?" The pressure in Havoc's head increased tenfold. "You'd damn this planet before you'd let us activate the program?"

_I'd give humanity another chance._

"You're inviting destruction." This had gone on long enough. Tread Havoc summoned all his will, and crushed the power surging in his head. He collapsed completely, the venture having totally drained his energy.

"Havoc?" Sigma said again. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"It's...this body's former host. He won't relinquish control."

"You mean Havoc, former commander of the 4th Overland Division?" Sigma asked knowingly.

"You knew him?"

"We fought together before the virus opened my eyes." Sigma replied. Tread Havoc nodded, slowly rising to his feet.

"Sigma!" An energetic voice called from down the hall.

"Tempest..." Sigma growled, shifting his hulking new body and looking out the door of his private quarters.

"Bad news," The foreboding black form glided down the hallway, dusky cloak billowing around him and casting shadows like spindly fingers on the walls. "Kinetic Arachno was just destroyed by the Maverick Hunters."

"So..." Sigma muttered, then looked up at the newcomer. "That was the earthquake earlier?"

"Yeah. What's worse, I think they might've found us."

"What?"

"Arachno fled here for a reason. It was trying to get back to safety, and I think the Maverick Hunters realized this. We found two of their scouts outside combing the junkyard." Sigma growled, then swore explosively.

"We don't have time for this!" He yelled. "Enough was on the line as it was. We're moving things ahead a bit. Tempest, prepare the strike team for tomorrow."

"Strike team?" Tread Havoc inquired.

"We need an aircraft to get to Elysium, so we're stealing one from the Doppler airport." Sigma explained.

"Sigma, our strike team won't be ready for at least three days. Every bit of our resources are being used up to repair the base or battle the Maverick Hunters." Tempest said. Sigma sighed.

"We have to abandon this base anyway. Cease the repairs."

"Sigma...If we stop now, we're totally defenseless. We'd still need another day to get the team out, and in that time the Maverick Hunters could strike and wipe us out in one swoop."

Sigma looked between Tempest and Havoc, unsure of what to do. With an exasperated sigh, he announced, "We play it defensive. Continue the repairs." Tempest seemed pleased by this; his mandibles clattering approvingly. Havoc paid neither of them any heed, lost in another battle inside his thoughts.

"I'll inform everyone of your decision," Tempest said, giving a curt bow and disappearing down the hallway. Sigma left the room as well, for there was much that still needed to be done.

* * *

Marx was ecstatic that Nephtis had agreed to go to the party with him, and for the rest of the day he felt like he was walking on air. In the many hours until the party, he had gotten better acquainted with their neighbors. Directly to their left was an old man named Ben Hyuga, a survivor of the original Tokyo. He claimed to be the descendant of a long line of mystical samurai, but Marx had dismissed it as an old man's fantasies. He _did _have a katana, but it could have easily been bought online. The others were far less intriguing, except for the fact that most, if not all, of them were Japanese and had ancestors who survived Dr. Wily's final weapon that ripped Tokyo away from Honshu and the rest of Japan. 

Another time killer was helping Nephtis install some of the various machines she had bought for their apartment. They had to completely tear apart the sink in order to install a filter in one of the pipes that converted normal water into reploid fuel. Of course, taking it apart was far easier than putting it back together, and he got a thorough nagging from his roommate about how he had carelessly ripped apart the old wooden counter with no plans on putting it back together.

Next was the shower, which also needed a filter. Even at its highest temperature, the shower was barely warm enough for a reploid, and the filter increased the shower's heat threshold. Marx realized, as he screwed the head back on, that he needed one badly. It had been at least a week and a half, and though reploids didn't get dirty nearly as fast as humans did, his synthetic skin was encrusted with bits of rubble and dirt.

However, as soon as he stood back to admire his handiwork, Nephtis had barged into the tiny bathroom and shoved him out the door. "Hey!" He called. "I was gonna use that!" No reply from behind the closed door. He heard the sound of clothes piling on the floor, and gulped inwardly when the mental image popped in his head. Still, he wanted a damn shower. "Akila!" Still nothing. Exasperated, he leaned against the wall. Unable to think of anything else to yell, he resorted to, "I was there first!"

The hiss of running water drowned out his voice, so he did the only thing he could; he began programming more phrases into Darius. The tiny PDA-like device was hard to work with, and he repeatedly found himself pressing two buttons at once. To make matters worse, he had to specify when every phrase was supposed to be said, which succeeded at being both time-consuming and frustrating. By the time he was done with three phrases, the water ceased running.

After a minute of silence, Akila's voice came muffled through the door, "Uh, Marx...we have a problem."

"What? Don't tell me I didn't put the filter on tight enough, because I-"

"There's no towels," she said flatly. He sat stock still for a moment, then he suddenly felt his face turn beet red.

"Ah, well..." He looked around the room. He didn't see any towels. "Uh, I don't see anything..."

"Forget it, I'll look." Marx's eyes were fixed on the door when she said this, and as the door swung open, he panicked. He didn't know how she'd react if he saw her naked, and he didn't know if his body would let him look away. It didn't, but to his surprise (and disappointment, to a degree), she stepped out with a white towel wrapped tightly around her shapely form.

As soon as she saw his face, she burst into peals of laughter. "Got ya!" She said in between fits of hysteria. "Oh, if only you could see that look on your face right now!" Marx blinked in astonishment, first because of her devious trick, and second because he couldn't believe she had just played a joke on him. This _was _the same woman who had once thrown a helmet at him, right? It couldn't be. That Nephtis was totally devoid of happiness. This one was giggling like a child at the ridiculous look on his face.

Despite everything, he felt himself smiling. "Cute. Real cute. Now dry off and get dressed, I gotta get ready too," he pushed his chair out and stood, the wooden floor squealing with the effort to hold his mechanical body. As he passed Nephtis, his hand connected to her bare arm for a fleeting, electrifying moment. As he shut the door, he let out a sharp sigh. She was driving him crazy, and not even her past could stop the feelings within him. Marx knew he could learn to forget it, and accept her for who she was, not who she had been. Still, he couldn't help but wonder how many banks she had robbed, how many people she had killed, how many lives she had ruined before Tempest destroyed her world.

**End of chapter 21**

AN: I'm surprised nobody mentioned anything 'familiar' about Isis in the last chapter. Oh well. That'll just make things more interesting later on. Spring break's over for me, so I can't make any guarantees about the next update. Of course, I'll try to get it out as soon as possible, but my crazy English teacher'll probably crush my spirit again in a week or so.


	23. Chapter 22: Night on the Town

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 22: Night on the Town

BGM: U2 – City of Blinding Lights

By Genoscythe

AN: Thanks for the reviews! As for the whole Set/Thoth thing, I chose Thoth for a reason (and his appearance is loosely based on Salazar's robed henchmen from Resident Evil 4, because they're just too cool to leave out). In Egyptian mythology, Thoth is the one that kills Osiris and turns him into the god of the underworld. I don't remember the specifics, but I thought it would be a little ironic for Thoth to kill him again, eh? Also, I think Set had the head of a horse, which isn't that much more appropriate than a bird.

PS: I'm sure you've noticed the little thing that says BGM under the chapter name. This is a song that I think is most appropriate for a certain part of the chapter (this certain part is marked with a --- at the beginning), or maybe a song that inspired me when I was writing it. I've updated some of the earlier chapters with background music too, like chapter 15 and 9. I might add more as time goes by, but these 3 are all I can think of right now. This is pretty much a useless feature, but some of you might find it interesting nonetheless.

* * *

"It's a nice night," Marx commented absently, leaning against a green fence. 

"Perfect for a crazy party," Zero responded, throwing back his head and chugging down alcohol at a rate that could kill a human. Marx gave him a dark look.

"Don't get too crazy without us. We're still waiting for X."

"And Alia," Zero added, twirling the now-capped bottle between his fingers. When Marx raised a questioning eyebrow, Zero explained with "His girl."

"His what?" This was news to Marx.

"Not really," Zero said regretfully. "Not yet, anyway. X is still hung up over his first girlfriend."

Marx chuckled. "I never figured X was such a playboy." Zero burst into laugher, his slim sides shaking as he tried to keep the noise down.

"X? Playboy? Man, I never thought I'd hear those two words in the same sentence." Zero took a short, resentful look at his bottle of liquor and dropped it on the ground. "Like I said, he's not really with Alia yet. He and the first girl were really close. I mean _really _close. In fact, I'm pretty sure he wanted to propose to her."

"So, what happened? She moved on?"

"I wish," Zero sighed. This was the part of the story he never liked to tell. "At the beginning of the Eurasia Crisis, when we destroyed the Sigma decoy and released the virus..." He glanced at Marx to make sure he was following along. "Neo Tokyo turned into hell, in the blink of an eye." Zero snapped his fingers for emphasis. "Reploids everywhere were going berserk, and Calliope was in the middle of it. She was running errands when the virus hit, and she was turned. I had no choice..." Zero closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "I killed her."

"You..." Marx muttered, his eyes opening wide.

"There was nothing we could have done," he continued. "She was infected, and she was killing humans left and right. Fortunately, X didn't get there in time to see her do it. He came just after I cut her down."

"So he knows?"

"He knows. In fact, he nearly tried to kill me that day."

"I had no idea. I mean, looking at the two of you..."

"We agreed to forget that part of the ordeal. Neither of us has said a word about it since, though I still let him talk about Calliope from time to time." Zero looked down.

"Wow..." Marx said simply. "How long were they together?"

"Long enough for X to want to marry her," Zero muttered, still lost in his thoughts. "Since the end of the second uprising."

"Wow," Marx repeated. "Poor guy. I can kinda imagine why he wouldn't want to-"

"Shut up, I think I see him," Zero hissed, elbowing him in the ribs. Marx doubled over and swore loudly.

"What the hell was that for?"

"X hates it even when _he _talks about her. He'd lose it if he heard me spreading the story around." Marx turned his gaze from the blonde reploid to a taxi parked on the adjacent street. Out of it emerged X, his light brown hair combed back. On the other side, a tall woman with smooth, shoulder-length blonde hair and an angelic face stepped out the door. She wore a milky white blouse and a lengthy black skirt that danced as she moved her legs. Marx shifted his weight and whistled.

"That's Alia?" He asked.

"That's Alia." Zero confirmed.

"You said he's not X's girl yet?"

"Don't get any ideas."

"I'm just, y'know...curious."

"Didn't you bring Nephtis anyway?"

"Don't get any ideas."

"Aww, but you two look so cute together."

"Yeah. Just like beauty and the beast."

"You seem to think you're good enough for Alia though."

"I never said I was the beast."

Zero chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing she's not standing next to you right now." Marx froze.

"You know it was a joke, right?" He said nervously, not even bothering to look. "Y'know, guy stuff."

"Sure, sure. I believe you." A new voice, light but firm, came from Marx's right. He turned to look at the golden-skinned woman.

"Seriously?" He asked, still nervous.

"Of course," Nephtis replied. "Because everybody would agree I'm not the beast here." Zero could see color rising on Marx's face, but he also seemed to be restraining himself. Not wanting to be nearby in case things got out of hand, Zero made his way to X and Alia, who were now walking across the lawn toward him.

"The party crashers are here!" Zero called enthusiastically. Alia gave him a disapproving scowl.

"Everything's ready?" X asked immediately.

"Table's reserved, and we're fully stocked," Zero replied, jerking his thumb at the cooler sitting down the street, with Axl and Selene on top of it.

"Not anymore. How many did you have already?" X said knowingly.

"Two. How'd you guess?"

"I know you far too well." X smiled, and Zero laughed heartily. The blonde reploid relished any way he could bury his past, if only for a moment. He led X and Alia to the entrance, barking at Axl and Selene to grab the cooler and follow them. As they stepped through the plain metal archway, they found themselves walking on wooden planks. Stretching out before them, hovering over inky black water, was a veritable labyrinth of wooden walkways, all interconnected by metal platforms. In the distance, a forest of umbrellas and heating lamps presided over dozens of metal tables. To their right, jutting out from the mainland, dozens of restaurants and similarly shaped buildings were bustling with people, reploid and human alike. Marx, who had been trailing at the back of the group, looked on in astonishment.

"_This _is what you call docks? Where are all the boats?"

"Before reploids were mass-produced, this harbor was used as a fishing port," X looked back as he explained. "When technology left places like this obsolete, it became abandoned. It was a few decades ago when somebody bought the property and turned it into what it is now."

Marx looked about. The docks kept going on into the distance, and he thought he could see a ferris wheel moving through the darkness. "And...what exactly _is _it now?"

"It's almost like an amusement park, or a mall. To be honest, I'm not sure what it is either. There's restaurants and stores over there..." X pointed to the rows of buildings Marx had noted earlier. "...and there's a ferris wheel and some other rides over there." He shifted slightly to point behind the stores. "When we find our table, we're just gonna grab whatever food we want and come back."

"...oh."

"Something wrong?"

"Uh..." Marx began unsteadily. "Do we need to pay for the food?"

"That's what most restaurants do, yeah," X said lightheartedly. "Why? You at least brought some pocket change, right?"

"Not...really. We, uh..." Marx glanced nervously at Nephtis, embarrassed at explaining their money woes. "We spent all our money. We've got nothing left." X nodded solemnly, fishing in a pocket of his jeans for something. When he found his quarry, he pulled out two hexagonal credits and flipped them into the air. Marx caught them and looked at the numerical value stamped on the front. "500 creds each? X, are you crazy?"

X chuckled. "I had a feeling this would happen. That should last the two of you for at least tonight."

"But...1000 credits isn't easy money. Are you sure about this?"

"Marx, I'm the oldest reploid in existence. I've had plenty of time to build up a small fortune, and 1000 credits is like pocket change now. Just take it. You should enjoy yourself tonight."

Marx opened his mouth to argue further, but he realized it was pointless. As much as he hated accepting charity, X's argument made sense. He pocketed one of the chips, then quickened his pace to catch up to Nephtis. As he approached, she turned around and fixed her dark eyes on him. He held up the credit, spinning it on his forefinger and grinning.

"We may not be going hungry tonight after all," he said as he came to walk side by side with her.

"Who'd you steal it from?" She asked, though to Marx's surprise her voice contained none of its usual steely venom. It almost sounded...peaceful.

"X," Marx replied simply, pressing the credit into the palm of her hand. His fingers lingered next to hers for a brief moment, before pulling them away and shoving them in his pockets. Their conversation quickly dissolved into small talk as the group moved across the reinforced wooden walkway. It wasn't long until they reached their reserved table, a long rectangle with more than enough chairs for all the Maverick Hunters present.

Everyone quickly dispersed to buy food, and when they returned, the party began. Zero heartily dispensed beer, almost as quickly as he drank it. To his dismay, nobody was willing to drink more than three, while the pile of bottles at the blonde reploid's feet were turning into a small mountain. As long as it took for a reploid to feel the effects of alcohol, Zero was already starting to feel tipsy. This was what Zero had waited for; the only way for him to escape his blood-soaked past.

* * *

Marx was starting to get worried. Nephtis hadn't said a word all throughout dinner, and the glances he stole at her told him she was in another world. She hadn't even laughed when Zero attempted to juggle six beer bottles at once, and hadn't managed to catch a single one. As the party began winding down, while Axl was finishing up a greatly exaggerated story from his days in the Red Alert Syndicate, Marx laid his hand on hers, giving it a gentle squeeze to see if and how she would respond. There was nothing. Her dark eyes were lost in the black sea just beyond their table. Marx sighed, not realizing that he hadn't let go of her hand yet.

He looked back at Zero to keep his mind off of her, and he saw the tall reploid walking from table to table, two beer bottles wedged into his mouth like glass tusks, and attempting to ask embarrassing questions of the tables' inhabitants. The image was so absurd he couldn't help but laugh with the rest of them. Finally, Zero came across a burly reploid that knocked him out flat after Zero had asked 'Have you ever had thex whith your panths on?' Spitting out glass shards, Zero walked back to their table, looking a bit diffused. Both Axl and Alia looked like they would choke on their own laughter.

"Marx?" Nephtis said next to him. He was relieved to hear her voice again. He turned to face her. "You're, uh...crushing my hand." Immediately, he remembered that he hadn't let go of her hand, and he did so now, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Sorry about that."

"That's alright. I still have another one."

"Hey...Akila? Can I talk to you?"

"I thought this was considered talking."

"I mean alone." Marx looked about. Nobody seemed to notice that they weren't paying attention to the party. Nephtis looked away for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay," she said. He could tell that she knew what he was thinking. Her gaze drifted down the docks until she saw a particularly secluded spot next to the water. Without excusing or explaining herself, she rose from the table and walked off. For the first time all night, everyone else noticed her.

"Who was she?" Axl asked as Marx got up as well. Ignoring Axl's question, he followed her through the rows of tables until he was leaning against a rail next to her, the light of the docks nothing but a distant memory.

"So?" Nephtis questioned.

"I'm getting worried about you," he confessed. "You haven't said a word all night, and I can tell you're thinking about something. Care to tell me what it is?"

"Yes, I might as well..." Nephtis sighed, staring out at the cold black ocean. "I've been thinking of a lot of things. One of them being that I don't want to abandon Kontar's memory." Marx raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, abandon it?"

"I've also been thinking about them," Nephtis continued, intentionally ignoring his question.

"X and his friends?"

"Yes. They don't know either of us very well, and they already accept us."

"Why shouldn't they? What's wrong with us?"

"I mean..." Nephtis's face contorted, struggling with her words. "I've never been able to trust anyone my entire life. Even before Tempest destroyed the Empire. It just seems impossible for them to just take us in like they did."

Marx laughed, leaning against the railing. "Not everyone's the same, Akila. Some people you can't trust, others you can. Two weeks ago, I used to think just like you. I thought all Maverick Hunters were reckless hot-shots looking for some cheap thrills. Now look at me. I learned the hard way that we can't judge the many by the deeds of the few."

"But, I...I can't explain it. I've had faith and good will shoved in my face so many times I decided it didn't exist. Living in the underworld redefined my views on life. Now, they're being redefined all over again, and I'm getting tired of it," Nephtis spoke as if she had suddenly become incredibly exhausted. Her head dipped over the rail, letting her hair fall about her face so that Marx couldn't see the expression she wore.

"No need to get upset over a good thing," he said consolingly. Gently, he put an arm around her waist, and he felt her twitch when his fingers touched her. He prayed this was a good thing, and not the opposite. "We're with people that care about us now. No matter what happened to us, no matter who screwed us over in the past, we've got friends right now."

"Friends..." Nephtis murmured. "Kontar told me that word was meaningless. For a really long time, I believed him." Finally, she turned her head up to gaze into his auburn eyes. "Not anymore. You showed me that. You showed me that friendship isn't meaningless." Before his eyes, her face seemed to brighten. "Even if you are a prick most of the time."

"Say what!" He gave her a mock-incredulous stare. "I invite you to dinner, give you money, keep you company, and all I am is 'a prick most of the time'?"

"Fine. _Sometimes _you can be a prick." She reasoned, and he drew her in closer to him.

"Okay. I can live with sometimes." She giggled, a sweet sound Marx never thought he'd hear out of Nephtis. Once again, she managed to surprise him. "Hey. You never answered my question. What did you mean by 'abandoning Kontar's memory?' And don't think you're getting out of it this time."

"Well...at the beginning of this conversation, I wasn't sure what I meant either." She replied mysteriously. He gave her a quizzical expression.

"You're making even less sense now. Can we just go back to 'abandoning Kontar's memory'?" She giggled again, and he drank in the melody.

"I loved him, and it's not easy to forget someone you once loved," she said softly. _Wish I knew what that felt like... _Marx thought grimly. "But now, I'm ready to put him behind me. I'm going to bury my past, starting tonight." She turned sideways, so that she was completely facing him. "I'm going to need your help, Marx. I don't want to start a new life alone." All at once, Marx understood. _Quite a roundabout way to say that you love me, woman..._ Leaving one hand around her waist, he used the other to tip her chin up to face him. He was about to lean forward, but she caught him by surprise and leaned in first, brushing her lips lightly against his, as if testing if he was real. As she moved back slightly to launch into a full kiss, _he_ took _her_ by surprise when he locked his lips on hers before she even began.

Nephtis moaned, sounding more like a sigh of relief than anything else. _What's she got to be relieved about? _Marx thought as he caressed her divine lips. _She couldn't be afraid that I might abandon her – could she? Right now, I don't think I could ever let her go... _After what felt like forever, they gently released the intimate embrace and resolved to simply stand in each other's arms, Marx gently rocking the two of them. Her head lay on his shoulder, and suddenly he felt something wet stain his shirt where she lay. He realized with horror that she was crying.

"What? I wasn't that bad, was I?" He asked, trying to alleviate her tears.

"No...that's not it at all..." She murmured. "I just...feel horrible about myself right now. In all the time I've spent with you, I always felt you would reject me, or that you wouldn't be the kind, gentle person you seem to be. I lived my life around people that abused women for fun...heartless bastards that didn't care about anything except themselves. In time, I just accepted that all men were like that. Even when I met you, I couldn't shake that impression I had. Now, I'm sure you're sincere, and I feel terrible for ever doubting you."

Marx stroked her tear-stained cheek. "People have done worse than doubted me. I don't hold anything against you."

"I know, I just want to apologize."

"Don't. You don't need to."

"...if you say so," she said as she buried her head in his chest. "That was a nice speech earlier, by the way."

"Which one?"

"About people not being the same, and everything. It was really thoughtful."

"Thanks. I think I read it somewhere." She laughed.

"Why am I not surprised?" she said as tears began flowing again. This time though, they were tears of joy.

* * *

Zero watched with interest as Marx and Nephtis embraced off to his left, swishing his last bottle of beer absently. He had reset his systems after the incident with the big reploid, and was unfortunately sober. He sighed, realizing that the last bottle wasn't enough to get him drunk again.

Turning his gaze over to X, where he sat with Alia at the now-empty table. To his dismay, he couldn't hear what they were talking about. However, he could clearly see their emotions. Alia seemed to become increasingly nervous and distressed as the conversation went on, and X's expression was equally grim. Zero groaned. He knew at once what was going on. _That idiot...he's telling her that he's not ready for another relationship yet. After what, 12 years since Calliope died? 10 since he promised to put it all behind him? I've gotta knock some sense into that thick skull..._

As expected, Alia soon got up, an expression of disbelief and anger on her face. X looked up at her pleadingly, probably telling her to calm down. She would hear none of it, instead throwing a half-empty carton of noodles at his head and storming off toward the amusement park. Zero chuckled, despite his disappointment in his best friend.

As expected, once X wiped the stray noodles and sauce off his face, he came straight toward the blonde reploid. _No doubt asking for advice, _Zero mused. _Time for cupid to go to work._Quickly, he looked away to avoid seeming conspicuous and took a deep swig of alcohol. Damn, the bottle was nearly empty.

"Still trying to drown your sorrow, eh Zero?" X called, his voice seeming weary and beaten.

"After what just happened, I don't think it's _my _sorrow we should be talking about," Zero shot back. Tossing the now-empty beer bottle, he faced the brown-haired reploid.

"You saw everything?"

"Yeah, but I didn't hear any of it. Gimme the specifics." And so, X relayed his sad tale to Zero, putting on a thoughtful expression. Apparently the conversation had started out innocently enough, but X had decided that he needed more time to work out his feelings for Calliope, and had essentially told Alia to back off and give him some space.

"...and then she said some pretty nasty things about my mother right before she threw the noodles at me." X finished, and Zero chuckled in spite of himself.

"Look, right off the bat I see two things wrong with this fiasco," the blonde reploid began. "First, you dumped Alia over a _dead _girl. Second, you did it in the worst possible way."

"Why? What'd I do wrong?"

"X...you flat-out told her that you didn't want to be with her. If there was ever a way to let a girl down the hardest, that'd be it."

"I was just being honest! I mean, it's not that I don't like her...just the opposite. But Calliope's memory won't let me move on."

"And _that's _the root of all our problems," Zero stated, his voice having adopted the tone of a psychiatrist. "Calliope. Now, I thought we went over this before. She died twelve years ago, and she sure as hell doesn't want to make you suffer now."

"You don't understand what it was like though," X countered. "I killed for her...I would have died for her, if I ever got the chance."

"But she's dead instead. And who says you can't keep her memory alive without being a bachelor? C'mon, I know you don't enjoy torturing yourself over her. I also know that you really do love Alia."

"You're right there. But-"

"I've heard enough buts from you tonight, X. Here's what you're gonna do," he beckoned for X to lean closer, and Zero formed something of a two-man huddle between them. "As soon as you can, go out and buy her favorite candy, or flower, or whatever. Both works best. Anyway, try to take it to her in person. If she's still too fired up about tonight, then leave it on her doorstep with a poetic love note."

"A...poetic...love note?"

"Yeah."

"That kind of thing actually works?"

"Sure it does. Especially for someone with the gift of the silver tongue like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...all the stuff I wrote for Iris didn't really turn out so great. It's the thought that counts though, so they always got me through the rough parts in our relationship."

"So I just buy her some flowers, candy, and write her a love letter?"

"Yeah. Just tell her what a huge mistake you made, and that you're ready to move on. You _are _ready to move on, right?"

"Uh...I think so."

"Not good enough."

"Okay. Yeah, I'm ready to move on."

"Fine. Whatever. That's pretty much all you need to do. If you need anything else, you know where to find me," Zero concluded, looking around in vain for another bottle of beer. Already, he was starting to see blurred visions of Iris, standing and pointing bloody fingers accusingly at him. These were some of the most horrible apparitions of Zero's beleaguered mind, but over the years he had almost grown accustomed to them. _Where the hell can I get a drink!_

He turned his attention to X, and the visions ceased to be. Without another word, his comrade began walking away, already deep in thought on how to apologize to Alia.

**End of chapter 22**

AN: Sorry, too tired to say anything right now. Thanks again for sticking with me though. Next chapter should be up soon, I already started on it since this chapter doesn't have any action (or does it? whistles at Marx and Nephtis). Well, I guess I did say something. Must not be as tired as I thought.


	24. Chapter 23: Espionage

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 23: Espionage

By Genoscythe

AN: After a little bit of research, I found out that Set _is _the one that killed Osiris, and not Thoth. I've gone back and altered chapter 20 to fit. Thanks for the correction, Ri2!

* * *

HQ was silent. All personnel accounted for. 0 risk factors. Endymion stood guard outside Douglas's lab. It was 1:28 AM, and his sister and her friends were most likely still at the docks. He sighed, a rare gesture for a reploid that displayed no emotion whatsoever. _They don't understand how important our duty is, _he thought to himself. _While they're out drinking and indulging in disgusting human emotions, we're working to end the Maverick Wars once and for all. _He felt alone, as he always did, and that only bolstered his sour mood.

For the hundredth time, he looked through the door to see if Douglas was done. The pudgy form was still hunched over a flickering holo monitor, typing away at the console. The little mechanic insisted that he knew where to find the source of all the communications disturbances, and Endymion had orders from Signas to guard him until he found what he was looking for. Commander Signas's fears weren't groundless; the temporary hunter HQ had virtually no perimeter defenses and a laughable security system to boot. Plus, the base had no living quarters, and it was next to empty at night.

_Why doesn't Selene understand our purpose? _Endymion mused bitterly. _We were both created from the same design, but our inherent personalities can't be more different. Did Dr. Kikuta make a mistake in her programming? He must have. We were supposed to be a team. How can we be a team if we can't stand each other! _As soon as he thought it, Endymion silently berated himself for thinking like a weakling. He didn't need Selene's help. He was strong enough for both of them.

A cry of excitement emanated from the dark room, and Endymion peeked his head inside. "I've found it!" Douglas yelled, leaping out of his chair and dancing about like a fool. "Captain Endymion! I know where the signal's coming from!" Keeping his mask of indifference, the silver-plated Maverick Hunter stepped deftly into the room.

"Signal? I thought you were looking for a disturbance," Endymion stated plainly.

"That's what I thought at first. But it's not! It's a _signal_! It's a signal, and it's coming from the middle of the Pacific!"

"What kind?"

"I have no idea! That's the strange thing. It's a signal that disrupts our own communications. The wave patterns are so complex that they break up ours. I've never seen anything like it."

"Did you find anything else?" The tall hunter asked gruffly. Sometimes, it was hard pretending to be emotionless, and right now Endymion simply wanted to be alone with his thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to a gibbering fool like Douglas.

"Yes. Sort of. Not really."

"Well, that's great. Good work, Douglas."

"Wait! I mean...there's nothing there."

"There's nothing in that fat head of yours, I know that."

"No! The signal! There's nothing there!"

"Calm down, idiot. Now, start again."

"Okay. I found the source of the signal, and there's nothing there. According to the maps and trade routes, it's nothing but empty water."

"Maybe it's a ship that went off course?"

"Captain, you'd need a beacon as big as an island to transmit a signal like this."

"A secret weapon?"

"It'd be a waste to make a weapon that only interrupts long-distance transmitter waves. Shortwave transmissions still work because they're simple enough to slip through the signal's pattern."

"So...what is it?"

"I already told you, I don't know! I'll see if I can take a satellite photo of the ocean at the source." Douglas spun on his heels and hobbled back to the console. As soon as he began tapping buttons again, Endymion lost interest. What a waste of time. If a maverick showed up, the little maniac deserved to get his head blown off. Endymion turned to go, hoping Douglas wouldn't notice or care.

However, something caught his attention. It was the slightest flicker of movement on the ceiling, indistinguishable to an untrained eye. Endymion's head snapped up, but nothing was there. There it was again! As if the ceiling were a mirror, it became distorted for a brief second as something darted along the metal surface. The silver Maverick Hunter immediately knew what it was. _Damn, a cloaking field! _Endymion recognized it as the same type he used, and for a moment he wondered how the mavericks managed to find such an expensive piece of equipment.

Silently cursing when he found that he'd lost it, he turned to Douglas. The green-armored mechanic was typing away, oblivious to the intruder. "Douglas!" Endymion yelled, but that was all he could get out before a trio of blades came down on Douglas's back. Douglas gave a surprised sigh, then slumped forward against the console. The blades retracted and disappeared into thin air.

The meager light in the room shimmered as the maverick charged at Endymion. Without batting an eye, he turned on his own cloaking field and leapt out of its path. The maverick skidded to a halt.

"You're like me?" It spoke, both curious and apprehensive.

"Wrong," Endymion countered, twin blades sliding out of his gauntlets. He dashed at the invisible enemy and slashed downward in an 'X' motion, and to his surprise two sets of serrated claws stopped his weapons short of the killing blow. Twisting in the air and slamming his armored leg into what Endymion only guessed was its head, he sent the maverick crashing to the ground. "I'm nothing like you."

The maverick flipped backward, landing on its feet halfway across the room. The impact had shaken its cloaking field, and for a split second, his enemy was revealed. What stood before him now was a tall, lithe feline covered in dull white fur and black body armor. The plates on its chest, although form-fitting, looked extremely thick and didn't seem to hinder movement at all. It wore small, stocky shoulder pads, and round, fluid gauntlets much like Endymion's own. However, as Endymion's arm blades were one solid piece of metal, this maverick had three jagged claws that arched out and over its hands. On its head, a triangular metal plate rested between its twitching ears. The Maverick Hunter guessed this was where the cloaking field was being generated from.

This was all discerned in the second available to Endymion before the field came back online. Then, his enemy was nearly invisible again, and running toward the door. Unfortunately for him, the equally invisible Maverick Hunter stood between him and his destination. Endymion tackled the maverick and pinned it against the wall.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Endymion spoke quickly. Maverick Hunter protocol dictated that he should ask such questions, otherwise the maverick would already be dead.

"I'm..." The feline squirmed under his steely grip, the voice distinctly masculine. "Stealth Claw. Tactical espionage expert for the Purifier Army. Or, as you'd call us..." He gave a violent thrash. "Mavericks. I'm here to find out how much you know about Elysium."

"About what?" Endymion asked, puzzled.

"Elysium, the Promised Land. You don't know, do you?" Stealth Claw said with a laugh. "Sigma said Megaman X should've been on to us by now."

"Maybe X isn't," Endymion growled as he pressed his blade against Claw's head. "But soon I will be. Tell me everything about this 'promised land.' Oh, and tell me quickly. You don't have much time."

"I've got a better idea," said Stealth Claw, and before Endymion could react, his tail snapped up and knocked the hunter's blade out of harm's way as he leapt into the air. The maverick buried his claws into the ceiling, crawling back to the vent that he had apparently come out of.Endymion swore as he looked back at Douglas. The mechanic could pull through if he got attention quickly, and Endymion couldn't follow Stealth Claw up the vent, so he did the only thing he could. He did the only thing he hated doing in his line of work.Endymion called for backup.

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Pyre Mystic silently berated herself, her head sunk into a stark white pillow. Instead of getting close to Zero, she had managed to land herself in the midst of Maverick Hunter HQ. The med lab, to be precise. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but she knew it had to be long. Darkness cloaked everything around her; it had been noon when the debris had knocked her out.

Mystic never let her powers get out of control, and yet somehow they had. _That rock wasn't supposed to fall...I wasn't supposed to get knocked out...I'm not supposed to be here! _Her mind screamed. All of her instincts were telling her to flee, to get out of bed and leap through the window and never look back. There were three flaws in her plan. The first was that her systems weren't all online again and she could barely move, the second was that she had made a promise to the Purifiers to kill this monster named Zero, and the third was that there were no windows to jump out of.

Pyre Mystic cursed, loudly. She didn't care if anyone heard it anymore. Everything would've been perfect if that damn rock hadn't decided to fall on her. Now, all their planning was shot through. The Maverick Hunters would torture her and find out what she was really doing in the middle of all those flames, then they would torture her some more and find out the location of the Purifiers' base. Then they'd probably torture her a little more for the hell of it. If she was lucky, they would kill her soon after. At the moment, she wasn't feeling very lucky.

Wearily, she forced herself into a sitting position and fully assessed the damage. To her relief, she seemed to be fine, or would be once all her systems were back online. "Something wrong, miss?" A bland voice called from a doorway to her right. The dull voice reverberated throughout the long hallway full of beds and sent shivers across Pyre Mystic's synthetic skin. It was a Lifesaver unit, and it had probably heard her swearing.

"Nothing, I'm just...surprised." She began weakly, trying desperately to conceal her terror. From what she'd heard, Maverick Hunter Lifesavers had been reprogrammed into butchers, and were frequently used in torture sessions. At that moment, it struck Mystic as odd that all the stories she had heard about the Maverick Hunters revolved around torture of some kind. It also struck her as odd that the Lifesaver wasn't covered in blood, or concealing an unnecessarily large knife behind its back, like she'd heard in the stories.

"Surprised?" The Lifesaver decided to take charge of the conversation, seeing as how Mystic had zoned out.

"Yeah," she said. "One minute I was on the street, and the next...bam!" She illustrated with her fist exactly what she meant by 'bam'. "Kinda weird, you know?"

"Miss, forgive me for any inconvenience," the Lifesaver droned on. "I am only following Commander Zero's orders." _Zero?__ Maybe there's still hope after all._

"Zero? Where is he?"

"The Commander is-"

"Please, just let me see him once before you cut me up. I gotta tell him something important."

"Excuse me-"

"Oh god, I don't wanna die..."

"Excuse me?"

"Just let me talk to Zero. Do whatever you want with my body after that, just lemme see him. Whatever you want. Really. See? My arm's practically _begging _to be cut off." The Lifesaver started forward, curious to see what the thought pattern readout was showing, but she cut him off. "Wait, not 'till after you take me to Zero."

"Wait for what, miss?"

"The torture, the maiming, the slicing. Come off it, I know what you people do," Mystic said warily. The Lifesaver, glad that two of the four emotions he knew how to express were confusion and worry, fixed her with a stare that combined both.

"I don't understand. I think you have me confused with someone else. I am in the employ of the Maverick Hunters."

"Yeah, I know that. So which one of us is crazy here? I'd bet money it's not me. I don't chop people up for kicks, after all."

"What?"

"Who do you think a judge is gonna believe, me or you? Hell, I can tell you're crazy just by looking at you. Never mind all the bodies you probably have stashed in the basement," Pyre Mystic prattled on, completely unaware that she was still talking. Now, however, the Lifesaver had taken too much.

"STOP!" It yelled angrily, showing its third emotion. "I have no idea what you're talking about! If you would just shut your mouth for a moment and let me speak, I could clear all this up in a matter of seconds!" The outburst brought Mystic back into reality, and she promptly shut her mouth. "I am a Lifesaver. I am a medical unit. I repair damaged reploids. I do not torture anyone. I am certainly not crazy. I cut nothing unless it involves sentence number 3," the stark white reploid carried on in a slow, chiding voice, using up the last emotion in its psychological vocabulary: contempt.

"Uh...okay, alright," Pyre Mystic said disarmingly. "Look, I just get carried away, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"Well, then could you just tell me where Zero is and I'll be on my way?"

"His current location is unregistered. He is off-duty. From personal experience, I would say he is drunk off his ass by now," the Lifesaver had returned to its former bland voice, as if someone had flicked a switch.

"So that means he's...where?"

"Anywhere. You will have to wait until he registers for duty again before I can answer that question correctly."

Mystic sighed. "Don't you know _any_thing?"

"I know that he is probably drunk off his ass at this particular moment."

* * *

Zero was, in fact, drunk off his ass at that particular moment. Drinking the entire cooler was only the beginning for him, and he had made a run at the shopping area of the docks to buy more booze. Unfortunately, he had bought enough to last him about a year. At the moment though, Zero didn't give a damn. He was sloshed, and it felt good. It was also nice to have the image of bloody Iris replaced by a parade of purple camels (nobody has ever been able to figure out why Zero sees purple camels as opposed to the standard pink elephants, but all anyone needs to know is that they are his friends and they listen to his troubles any time he needs someone to talk to.)

X had gone off to be all mopey. Marx was somewhere with Nephtis, trying various ways to get her to stop crying intermittently in their conversation. Alia, Zero presumed, had left. And good riddance. Party crasher. Now, all that was left was Axl and Selene. Those two had a habit of sneaking off and disappearing. Zero snickered one of those drunken snickers, the one that looks like you might be heading into a seizure fairly soon, as he thought of what they were doing. However, he didn't have to stumble far until he heard voices. They were coming from beneath him.

"Isn't this cool?" Selene's voice wafted up through the reinforced wood planks.

"Yeah..." Axl said, inarticulate as usual whenever he was talking to a girl.

"Wonder if anyone can see us?"

"I can," Zero said. They didn't hear him, which made Zero wholly confused. He could have sworn that he had yelled it.

"Isn't this a little dangerous?" Axl's voice. "If we fall, we'll sink like a couple of metal rocks."

"That's the fun part, doofus," Selene's voice.

"It's fun to sink into the ocean like a couple of metal rocks?" Axl's voice again. Damn, could they keep it down? Everything was starting to get louder.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me this isn't at least a _little _exciting!" Zero wandered over to the edge of the docks, where he looked over and saw a small outcropping of black rock sticking out from under the docks. A pair of slender feminine legs were sticking out on top of it. "This is cool. Our own little hideout."

"It _is_ a little damp down here."

"Axl..." Selene said exasperatedly. "I swear, I'm never going to get into that thick skull of yours."

"...get what in?"

"Just stop talking for a minute, Axl. I want to enjoy this."

"What...this?"

"Yeah, that." At this, Zero's curiosity peaked. He tried to lean over more so he could see under the docks, failed miserably, and slammed his head against the side bar. As loud as he could, he screamed out a curse that would make a rapper dive for cover. Somehow, it didn't sound very loud to Zero. Oh well. He was drunk. He could care less.

"What was that?" Axl's alarmed voice came up through the planks.

"I thought you were going to stop talking, Axl."

"But-"

"Whoever that is can't see or hear us. Besides, what's the problem?"

"No problem..."

"Really?"

"Well, it'd be kinda awkward to explain to some stranger why I'm sitting under the docks with a really wet girl in my arms. Other than that though, there's nothing wrong."

"Hey, _you _splashed me first, it's your fault if this looks awkward."

"I know. Like you said, they can't see us, so there's nothing to explain." Silence for a bit. Zero was starting to get bored.

"Hey Axl," Selene spoke again. "What would you do if I asked you to kiss me right now?" Zero started. Through the fabric of space, he swore he could feel Axl start too.

"I'd ask if Zero gave you too many drinks," Axl said warily, after taking a long time to choose his words correctly. He chose wrong.

"Did you?" one of the purple camels asked Zero.

"Yeah, but don't worry, guys. She's cool." The troupe of purple camels nodded their shaggy heads in consent.

"Sounds like the kid blew it big time," one spoke up.

"Yeah, well, we'll see how she takes it. Selene's a pretty weird girl when it comes to...well, pretty much anything." Zero explained. The camels all nodded knowingly again.

"We are wise. You don't need to tell us these things, yellow-haired warrior."

"Sorry, guys. Look, I'm trying to see what's going on, so could you disappear for awhile?"

"Absolutely," they all said in unison, melting into a fleet of baked hams and darting off into the night sky. Zero shook his head and tuned back into the real world.

"...really that hard to understand? I've been dropping hints left and right, Axl. I thought you liked me."

"I _do_, it's just...I'm not that good at this romance stuff. You just seemed really friendly, and I didn't wanna make a move in case I'd do something wrong."

"...so, you _do _like me?"

"Of course."

"So why haven't you kissed me yet? You missed your cue by about ten lines, Romeo."

"Oh...sorry." Silence ensued.

"Well?"

"Oh, right now?"

"Dummy!"

"Okay, uh..." Axl's sentence was cut short, and Zero could hear the faint sounds of lips locking. After a time, the sounds ceased. "Wow," was all Axl managed to get out.

"You can start it next time," Selene said sweetly. "But honestly, it's not very hard to tell when you're supposed to kiss a girl _when she's asking you to_," she reprimanded.

"Hey, you caught me off guard. That was all a little..." Axl fumbled for the right word. "Unorthodox," he finished.

"You should know I'm not an orthodox girl by now," she said. "So...how was it?"

"Not sure. I think we need to do it again." Axl replied. Zero chuckled.

"Bravo, little man, bravo," he said softly, attempting to clap. His hands completely missed each other, instead choosing to high-five empty space. His mood slightly soured, he picked up a beer bottle he had discarded earlier and took a long swig from it. As he set it down, he began to realize, _Damn__, everyone's getting more action than me right now!_

"I dunno. You've been making out with beer bottles all night," A voice said to Zero's right. The blonde reploid blinked in surprise. He hadn't thought out loud again, had he? Was his conscience finally stopping in to pay a visit? Zero wasn't sure. He had never met his conscience.

"Hey, old friend." Zero spoke, his words badly slurred. "Are you the devil, or the angel?"

"...the what!"

"The devil or the angel. You know. The little dudes that are supposed to be on my shoulders. They ran away a long time ago. Did you miss me? No, wait, don't answer that. I already know you're gonna say yes. So then, are you the angel or the devil?"

"Zero, it's Marx. Sober up for a second."

"Why? My life was just starting to turn around."

"I gotta talk to you."

"The purple camels won't be happy."

"Damn it, I...did you say purple camels?"

"Yeah," Zero said, activating his system cleanup program and becoming 'sober' in a matter of seconds. "Instead of pink elephants. Don't ask why."

"...sure. Look, I'm getting a little...close to Akila."

"To who?" He asked.

"Nephtis." Marx corrected.

"To who?" Zero repeated.

"I thought you turned sober."

"I know, I'm just messin' with you." Zero said light-heartedly. Marx cast him a dark glare.

"So, anyway, I'm getting a little closer to her..."

"I noticed. I gotta hand it to you, man. If ever there was a queen of all ice queens, she would be it. Everyone in Hunter HQ has had a run at her at some point since she came by, and none of em have been able to stand her for as long as you have. Even me. Most of em didn't even get two conversations out of her before they decided that that unbelievable figure just wasn't worth thebeast inside it."

"She's no beast!" Marx interjected, almost a little too quickly. "She's been through a lot. And that's what I wanted to ask you about."

Zero spread out his arms and leaned back against the guard rail. He noticed that both Axl and Selene had fallen completely silent, apparently afraid for some reason that their commanding officer might find them making out under the docks. "Ask away," Zero said knowingly.

"Well, she's been pretty worked up over her-" Marx stopped himself. He wasn't about to let Akila's past slip out like that.

"Her what?" Zero prodded.

"I can't explain," Marx explained. Zero sighed. This wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

* * *

"Will Douglas live?" Endymion asked the generic Maverick Hunter before him.

"He should. The claws only damaged one of his reactors, and the other one's got power to last for a day or two. The little bastard's like a miniature power plant. He'll pull through alright."

"Damn," Endymion muttered under his breath. To the hunter, he said, "Good. He was on to something before the maverick broke in, and we need that information as soon as possible." The 17th Division hunter turned to go, following the Lifesavers carrying away Douglas, but Endymion stopped him. "You _did _lock down the building, didn't you?"

"Oh." The hunter spoke as if he had just remembered something very important, which, incidentally, he had. "I'm on it right now, sir."

"Damn it," Endymion said again, this time a little louder.

"Computer! Activate full security lockdown!"

_Voice identified. User accepted. Lockdown engaged. All personnel, please step away from any windows or doors. This is a lockdown. Emergency exits in the lobby are now activated, and all emergency systems are now online. Thank you, and pray that this crisis is resolved quickly._

Endymion was already running for the stairs.

* * *

Stealth Claw scampered up the vertical shaft as quickly as his metal body would allow. He had done it! Where so many had died, he had not only lived, but succeeded! He gathered all the information the Purifiers needed, he sufficiently stalled the Maverick Hunters, and he tested their combat abilities. With a purr, he thought back to how ill-prepared they were, and how easy it was to slip through thechildish security system. He also thought of how ridiculous it was that they hadn't yet activated some kind of lockdown procedure. Perhaps he had wounded the silver Maverick Hunter's ego so badly that he had died and failed to send out a distress signal.

Stealth Claw didn't entertain this thought for very long because he knew how immature it was, and professional spies were anything but immature. _Professional spy...I like that, _Claw purred as he dropped down into a horizontal vent. He followed this vent shaft until it abruptly halted. Above him, one of the air circulation machines thrummed softly. _End of the line, _Claw thought as he looked at the grate beneath his paws.

There was no sound, and no sign of anyone in the room below. With a deft slash of his claws, he dropped down into the dark room. He was on a thin catwalk that circled around the medium-sized room, and whatever was below was immersed in shadow. This was last on Stealth Claw's Important Stuff in the Room list, because the first and only other thing on the list was a skylight. A giant, beautiful skylight. The sweet, sweet doorway to freedom.

Not a moment after he thought this, a startlingly loud PA system crackled to life. What it said chilled his proverbial bones.

_All personnel, please step away from any windows or doors. This is a lockdown. Emergency exits in the lobby are now activated, and all emergency systems are now online. Thank you, and pray that this crisis is resolved quickly._

Not a moment after it said this, a massive blast door began creeping over the skylight, smothering the only brightness in the already dark room. Desperately, Stealth Clawclamboredup the wall, fighting a losing battle with time as the impossibly thick metal sheet crept closer to cutting off his escape. As his fist crashed into the glass, the last sliver of light was choked off and he was trapped.

"No!" He said aloud. "Open, damn it!" He slammed his fist against the glass again, sending spidering cracks along its surface. Stealth Claw raised his fist again, but stopped himself. He suddenly felt that he wasn't alone in the room anymore. His head swiveled around and he turned on his NV. The room became illuminated again, but he could still see nothing. _He's cloaking too, _Claw realized. He scanned the environment for any wavering particles in the air. Still, he saw nothing. With a sudden feeling that could only be described as like having his heart take an elevator down to his tail, he looked directly below him. A flash of blurred movement, and he knew at once what he had to do.

Stealth Claw sprung off the wall and onto the catwalk below, activating his own cloaking field as he did so. He rolled, and stopped moving completely. He knew that he was almost invisible. "What, no swapping idealisms?" He called out to his attacker. "No witty banter? No duel? You were just gonna kill me right there and be done with it?" The invisible Maverick Hunter came down at him like a bolt of lightning, slamming his blades into the catwalk where Stealth Claw had been right before he flipped backward. "How horribly tactless," Claw concluded.

He made another impressive backflip, which he lamented being invisible while doing so, and disappeared over the side of the catwalk and into the darkness below. He landed and immediately took cover behind a large glass case, the contents of which he didn't notice until it was staring him in the face. It was a dead reploid.

Stealth Claw choked back a cry of surprise. It was an incredibly early model, perhaps one of the first. It had no synthetic skin, no muscle structure of any kind. It looked for all the world like a robot. _A prototype?_Claw thought, and then he noticed the plaque at the base of the display. It read something like: "#1: "X Junior." The pioneer of the reploid race. Malfunctioned and shut itself down on..." The date was unreadable due to the blur generated by the NV function.

Claw soon figured out where he was. He was in a showroom, or a museum, or both – all of the displays showing Dr. Cain's early reploid models. He quickly scanned the row of glass cases in front of him. Slowly, they seemed to become more sophisticated down the line. One caught his eye, and despite his best judgment (or lack thereof), he made his way over to it. What caught his eye was that the reploid inside the case was obviously a combat reploid. This became apparent immediately, as did the cause of his death.

The reploid's armor must have once been a staggering green, but dried blood, dirt and age had turned it to a faded olive. A huge, ragged gash ran across his chest, and one of his arms ended at the elbow. The lifeless face, scarred and burnt, stared blankly at him, and caught up in his curiosity, Stealth Claw examined the plaque.

"#17: Drake. In retrospect, the finest reploid I have ever built. Drake carried all the emotions of a human being, and was equally tempted by the vices of human culture. His crimes, his sins, have all been forgiven, and he shall never be forgotten. To my only true son, Drake. Killed in action at Dopplertown, January 2124." _Wow...Cain wrote these himself, I guess. Hey, what the... _Stealth Claw noticed a message, scribbled in black ink on the glass, which wrote "IM SORRY."

Stealth Claw sighed. He wasn't personally connected to this Drake person, but he could feel the emotion poured into the gold plaque and on the pained message scrawled on the glass. This war was tearing apart people's lives. What made the humans worth dying for? Stealth Claw felt anger bubble inside him. He had completely forgotten that he was being hunted by the silver reploid.

Something else attracted his attention. It was the case next to Drake's. It was empty. Not daring to move in case it would give away his position, Claw looked down at the plaque from where he stood. "#18: Sigma. The most monumental failure ever achieved by man. Died the moment he was infected." Was all it said. Looking up, Stealth Claw found that the empty case had been vandalized, with words like "TRAITOR" and "MONSTER" scratched in bloody red ink on the glass surface. There were other, even less savory words written there, as well as a few explicit drawings.

_They don't know who the real monsters are, _thought Stealth Claw. Feeling thoroughly sickened, he renewed his search for the Maverick Hunter. He was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, you still here?" Claw called out, rather stupidly. Being as bored as he was, it sounded like a good idea at the time. "Hey! How about we call it a truce? All I came here for was some information!"

"So you've already forgotten about the mechanic you stabbed?" The silver Maverick Hunter finally spoke up. Claw gave a wicked, toothy, and completely invisible grin. The voice was coming from behind a glass case on the other side of the room. Silently, Stealth Claw moved around the perimeter of the room until he was poised to ambush the spot where he'd heard the voice.

However, this brilliant plan fell short when something crashed down on him, knocking his head against the ground. "Idiot. You think I'd just sit there after giving away my location?" The hunter said, its voice a mask of neutrality. Claw growled in resentment. "Now, tell me about Elysium. Tell me what it is, where it is, and what it has to do with Sigma."

**End of chapter 23**

AN: Sorry if this is too much of a cliffhanger, but it's been awhile since the last update and if I had kept going, this chapter would be over 20 pages long.


	25. Chapter 24: Into the Night

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 24: Into the Darkness

By Genoscythe

"Look, I don't know much more than you already do at this point," Stealth Claw growled. Having a blade pressed against his neck wasn't one of his more enjoyable pastimes, so he was feeling just a little bit stressed at the moment.

"That's interesting, because I've never even heard of something called Elysium until tonight. You're saying you haven't either?" His silver captor said in a toneless voice.

"Bite me!" Claw retorted. He had sworn his loyalty to the Purifiers, and he wasn't going to break it now because of a stupid mistake on his part.

"Maybe I should just cut your throat instead," the hunter said. "Or, better yet, I'll take you in and find another way to make you talk." The silver Maverick Hunter touched a button on his helmet, opening his comm. link. "This is Endymion. I've found the intruder. Ready to take him into custody." Stealth Claw could just barely hear an 'Affirmative!' on the other end.

"What, torture? I thought you Maverick Hunters were supposed to be the 'good' guys," he said chidingly.

Endymion scoffed. "You're still thinking in black and white? Sad." Was all he said.

"I'm just saying what I've heard," Claw said. "All the humans call you heroes, defenders of justice or whatever. Do they realize that we're almost the same? They probably don't care, as long as you're the ones protecting them. After all, they still outnumber reploids twenty to one. Majority rules, right? Even if they're as weak as balloons..."

"You like to talk," Endymion observed plainly.

"And you don't," Claw said in return. "This little chat's been pretty one-sided, yeah?"

"I don't need to talk to you. I just need to keep you subdued."

"Jeez. Before you kill me, try to download some personality, alright?" Stealth Claw's jeering was met with silence. "Hey, are you a robot?" Silence. "Are you a reploid, or a robot?" He asked again.

"No," Endymion said simply.

"No what? No, you're not a reploid, or-"

"Shut up!" Endymion suddenly yelled, smashing Claw's furry face into the ground again. "You're making things difficult. I'd kill you if we didn't need you for questioning."

"Yeah, you made that pretty clear already," Claw murmured into the metal floor. Endymion slammed his head down again just for good measure. After several long, awkward moments of silence, a doorway nearby opened and three Maverick Hunters stepped out wielding flashlights and arm restraints. With a mechanical motion, they slapped the restraints on Claw's wrists and hoisted him to his feet.

Stealth Claw's entourage guided him to the dark stairwell they had emerged from, all the while Endymion's blade pressed against the back of Claw's neck. The feline's ears twitched as he heard a two-way comm. transmission between Endymion and one of the Maverick Hunters. His ears were tuned for both the normal spectrum of hearing, and the spectrum used to broadcasting transmissions. In fact, one of his favorite past-times was once sitting atop a radio tower and listening to the different stations being broadcast around the island. Soon after, the Purifiers found a better use for his ears.

The transmission was this, "Are you sure this guy's a mav? He doesn't have that freaky glow in his eyes."

"Maverick or not, he attacked Douglas. He also confessed to me that he was sent by Sigma."

"He confessed? What the hell are we taking him in for, then?"

"It isn't easy to explain. You shall find out soon."

"Whatever you say, Captain."

"He has a strong will. This could be difficult."

"Everything sentient eventually breaks. We'll get him."

"That isn't what I'm worried about. He's still dangerous."

"How? The restraints are working fine."

"There are ways around those arm restraints, Hawkins."

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

"Why don't you just stop him, then?"

"Because he's listening to our conversation," Endymion finished cryptically, and then severed the link. The Maverick Hunter on Stealth Claw's right side stiffened, presumably Hawkins. Despite his shock, Claw couldn't help but curl his black lips in a smile. The little reploid was scared of him.

As Endymion had predicted, Stealth Claw had a means around the metal restraints on his arms. His gauntlets were built with small super-heated blades built to spring out at his command and sever any form of handcuffs a captor might put on him. However, he was biding his time until they were out of the cramped stairwell and closer to the emergency exits at the lobby below. He hoped this would throw off Endymion as well as give him a clearer path to freedom.

After an eternity of shoving and darkness and stairs, a beautiful rectangle of light appeared in front of them. Stealth Claw was shoved again, this time into a dimly lit hallway. This hall was lined with doors, and they soon stopped at one.

"This will hold him for now?" Endymion asked Hawkins.

"I think. It's an old lab, but it's got a thick door. As long as we keep two guards, it shouldn't be a problem," Hawkins replied as he pushed open the door. A dilapidated white room appeared before them. Already, Stealth Claw could see at least three exits. It would be far too easy to just have them lock him up and then slip away unnoticed.

Before either of the three hunters could continue their shoving spree any longer, Stealth Claw's gauntlet blades sprung to life, shredding the restraints. In the next instant, his serrated claws were out and tearing through one of the Maverick Hunters' necks. He turned invisible just as Endymion slashed his blades forward, missing his head by a few short inches.

Stealth Claw leapt off into the darkness, leaving his two surprised captors in front of the open door and dead hunter.

* * *

This wasn't fun, Pyre Mystic decided. The Lifesaver (whom she was still apprehensive of) had told her to stay inside the med lab after the lockdown had started. The minutes crawled by, minutes spent in total darkness. Mystic couldn't stand sitting down, let alone sitting down with nothing to play around with. So, finally, she decided to take a tour of the HQ. If Mystic weren't as scatterbrained as she was, then she would have realized that a tour around a building in the midst of a lockdown wasn't the safest idea. But then again, Mystic would prefer death over boredom anyway.

With a tiny flame in her palm to light the way, Pyre Mystic fumbled around the med lab until she felt the handle of the door. She opened it with painstaking care, not wanting to bring down the wrath of the Lifesaver on her, wherever he was. To her annoyance, the room she emerged into was exactly the same as the one she had come from. Picking up the pace, she made her way down the hall and through the door on the other side.

After a thoroughly boring series of corridors and waiting rooms, Mystic emerged in the lobby, a large room extending out from the main building. What appeared to be a skylight covered the vaulted ceiling, but it was covered with a heavy blast door now. The only interesting thing in the lobby was a door on the other side of the room marked 'Authorized Personnel Only' in bold, unfriendly letters. Beneath it, a considerably smaller high voltage warning told Mystic everything she needed to know.

Turning the old-fashioned doorknob, she found herself at the peak of a flight of stairs that descended down into total darkness. With her palm to light the way, she made her way down and into exactly what she had predicted. Pyre Mystic had reached Cain Laboratories' main generator. Stumbling through the dank basement, looking at all the different computers and panels on the walls, she finally found what she was looking for.

'Manual Lockdown Override' the label said, and beneath it sat a perfectly harmless little switch. Mystic grinned. Just because she had to lay low didn't mean she couldn't help her comrades from the inside.

* * *

"Hey, Captain!" Stealth Claw heard from around the corner. It was Hawkins.

"What?" Endymion responded.

"I was goin' down to my girlfriend the other day, and I said to her-"

"I don't want to hear it, Hawkins," Endymion growled.

"But it's a good one, sir! Billy loved it."

"I'm not Billy. Now, get moving before I silence you myself." Endymion commanded. A humble 'Sorry, sir' could be heard echoing down the hall.

Stealth Claw waited patiently as Hawkins rounded the corner, and smiled wickedly when he found that the hunter was oblivious to his presence. He waited, and waited, and waited as the small humanoid made his way down the hall at a pace that could be easily outdone by a one-legged turtle. Claw growled in impatience, and Hawkins's head snapped up. Cursing at himself, Claw decided that now was as good a time as any.

He dropped from the ceiling, an invisible ripple. Hawkins whipped his automatic rifle about wildly, not knowing where to shoot. A moment later, the ripple in the air caught him, and thrust its claws through his chest. He gave a cry of alarm before Claw slashed his throat, silencing him forever. The tall feline grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him into a lab on his right. For a moment, Claw entertained the thought of skinning him and hanging him up on the ceiling to freak out his pursuers, but he soon realized that there wouldn't be time for that. Already, he could hear Endymion's muffled footsteps pounding down the hall outside.

Stealth Claw was prepped to leap out the door and slash the silver hunter to ribbons, but something else happened that completely distracted his attention. The blast doors that had covered the windows on the other side of the hall began lifting, letting in hazy moonlight. Endymion's footsteps slowed as well. Apparently, this wasn't supposed to be happening.

_Manual override has been activated. Lockdown disengaged. Have a wonderful day! _The PA system chimed in. Stealth Claw was confused, but he knew a golden opportunity when he saw one. He ran out of the lab, and was nearly within arm's reach of the nearest window when Endymion slammed into him and they both skidded down the hall. The silver hunter stabbed his free hand down, but Claw twisted out of the way and lashed his claws across Endymion's face. The hunter didn't cry out, but was momentarily stunned nonetheless.

Claw pressed a booted foot on his chest and pushed him off. The silver hunter's camouflage was shorting out, and now Stealth Claw could see his enemy, charging at him with blood flowing down his unreadable face. He was too late. Stealth Claw pounced into the window, blowing it to pieces and flinging crystalline shards into the night air. Not a moment after him, he heard another window break. That damn hunter was following him!

Claw suddenly realized something. He was falling straight toward the lobby. The lobby, and the skylight. _You've gotta be kidding me, _he thought as he plummeted ever closer. As he looked back, he could see Endymion catching up to him. _He's more aerodynamic than I am. Shit, shit, shit shit shit!_ As he crashed through the skylight and landed with a heavy thump on the foyer, Endymion landed directly on his back. He felt pistons and gears crack under the massive pressure, and he was thrust into the ground as a dull pain rocketed through his body and his camouflage cut out.

He wasn't done yet. He rolled over, forcing the Maverick Hunter off of him as he hobbled to his feet. Endymion grabbed his tail, and he kicked the hunter in his still-bleeding face. He grunted and staggered back, while Claw took the opportunity to make a mad dash for the door, barreling over a Lifesaver on his way. However, as he looked up, he saw something that made his proverbial heart stop. Pyre Mystic stood in front of the door, looking first at the Lifesaver, and then at him.

Recognition and fear clouded her beautiful face, and he skidded to a halt so as not to run her over. He was about to call out to her, but a cold blade found its way into his chest from behind. Claw could almost see the triumphant grin on Endymion's face. Mystic's fear evolved into absolute horror, and desperately she flicked her wrist toward a potted plant behind them. It exploded, and Endymion whirled around to discover the source.

Claw kicked him with all the force he could muster, dislodging the blade and sending him sprawling into the confused Lifesaver. He stumbled forward, flashing Mystic a grin. Picking up speed, he brushed past her and kicked open the door. Before he left, he looked back and whispered, "Meet you at the usual?" She nodded wordlessly, and with that Stealth Claw disappeared into the night.

* * *

Pyre Mystic looked back at the Maverick Hunter who had stabbed Stealth Claw, and found that he was now rushing for the door. She pretended to trip (rather poorly) and stumbled into him, effectively shoving him away from his destination.

"Outta the way!" the hunter roared, and he flung her across the room. Soon, he too disappeared into the darkness. Mystic lay where she had fallen, breathing heavily. She prayed to any god willing to listen that she had stalled him enough. Moments later, the silver Maverick Hunter re-emerged from the doorway. A flicker of rage crossed his badly cut face, and then subsided into something akin to surprise. He finally realized who it was that had pushed him out of the way.

"You're the one Zero saved," the hunter said, in measured, controlled breaths.

"Yeah," Mystic responded. "My friends call me Mystic."

"And what do your enemies call you?" The silver hunter said, with more than a bit of malice tinting his voice. She gulped, trying to swallow her terror. _Did he already figure it out? _She found herself unable to respond. "Captain Endymion," he stated. "You'll be hearing from me again." With that, he calmly walked off to one of the lobby's elevators. Trembling, Mystic stood. She had an appointment to keep.

An hour later, after emerging from a taxi, she stood before an extremely old apartment complex. She scanned the roof, looking for any sign of Stealth Claw, but she saw nothing. Had something happened to him? The sound of voices startled her, but it was only a couple walking down the sidewalk. An odd couple, but they were harmless. At least, until the man said the word 'maverick'.

Mystic darted into an alley, and watched the two. Did they know about her, too? The brown-haired man exuded a kind of roguish confidence, and the dark-eyed woman with him seemed to possess a kind of strength that no ordinary woman had. They were definitely Maverick Hunters. Mystic held her breath. _Paranoid! _She berated herself. _You're just being paranoid! All this undercover stuff is getting to your head! _As she heard them enter the building, she grabbed a ladder on the fire escape and began to climb.

Reaching the top brought back a bitter flood of memories. This was the spot where Claw had first found her, where he had taken her back to the mavericks. She remembered him sitting atop the large blank billboard, just like...

Just like he was now. "Hey, babe," he said off-handedly. Sliding to the ground, he hobbled over to her, where she immediately crushed him in a hug of epic proportions.

"You stupid kitty," She said, her voice muffled by his fur. "I thought you were done for."

"I know," Claw replied, resting a hand on her head. "I did too. If it weren't for you, I would be."

"You were the one that set off the lockdown?"

He nodded. "And you were the one that turned it off?" She nodded as well. "Then that's two I owe ya."

"You don't owe me anything," Mystic replied. "You gave me a home. I don't think I can ever pay you back for that."

"You're giving it one hell of a try," Claw said lightly, gingerly sitting on the ground. She began to sit in his lap, but he gently pushed her off. "Not now, babe. I'm hurting in places that I don't have a name for." Giving him a mock-hurt expression, she sat down beside him. Claw began sifting through his thoughts, trying to make some sort of order out of them as he snaked his tail around Mystic's waist. Finally, he knew what he wanted to say.

"I don't like this plan of Diamond's," he said grimly. "I just can't stand thinking of you with someone else, even if you're just trying to kill him."

"I'm really sorry, Claw," she soothed, scratching behind his right ear. "I have to do this. It's the only useful thing I can do for the Purifiers. Besides, think of how much safer the world will be without Zero."

"You just want to know what it's like to be with one of your own kind, don't you?" He said, trying to keep his voice from sounding _too _accusing.

"No!" Mystic said instantly. "That's not it at all. It's just that Sigma and the Purifiers..." she stopped momentarily. "Well, the Purifiers have been really nice to me. I wanna start carrying my own weight for once."

"Are you sure?" Claw prodded. "Because I'd get a human chassis in a heartbeat if you wanted-"

"Hey!" She interjected, tugging on the ear she had so recently been pampering. "It's not about what I want, because _I_ want _you _to be happy."

"Well, then we've got a problem, because that's exactly what I want. If all we want is for each other to be happy, we're just gonna keep going in circles like this."

"What am I gonna do with you?"

"You could scratch me some more. I liked that." She resumed scratching behind his ear, earning a content purr from deep inside him.

"Love?" She called to him.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Why aren't you like the other Purifiers? You don't have that freaky glow in your eyes, and you act...well, normal."

"Tough question...and I don't really know. I think the virus is being rejected by my systems, or something like that. It's been happening to a lot of people lately. I think the virus is finally starting to die out," Claw said hopefully.

"Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Not really. Sure, we might not get as many people to join our side, but we'll still have people like you and me, people who believe in our cause simply because we know it's right."

"But...didn't you used to work for the NTDA?"

"That was back when I thought I was alone, when I thought there was nothing I could do about the humans."

"It's not hard to see what the humans are doing to this planet. I'm sure there were others like you."

"Yeah, there were. That's what got me into the Purifiers." He finished, and Mystic rested her head lazily on his shoulder armor. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get the silver Maverick Hunter and his accusing gaze out of her mind. She had taken too big a risk. He knew. He at least had a vague idea, and vague ideas always manifested into more than just that.

**End of Chapter 24**

AN: Hopefully there's some action to tide you over after all the talking. Things are going to start picking up, and Malakai is coming back into play soon (for all those people wondering where he went). Also, I'm going to go into more detail on how Drake died, I just thought I'd give you all a teaser there. I fixed the last surviving Thoth, too (thanks again, Ri2). 14 days of school left, so that means A: You probably won't get any more chapters from me until after that, and B: After that, you can expect a massive boom in chapter production. After all, that's what summer's for.


	26. Chapter 25: Elysium Revealed

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 25: Elysium Revealed

By Genoscythe

Directly below the spot where Pyre Mystic and Stealth Claw were cuddling, Nephtis and Marx trudged into their dingy apartment. Everything still reeked of dust and humanity. However, at the moment Marx could care less. Nephtis had her cool hand wrapped tightly around his. This time, there was no gunfire, there was no earth-splitting artillery firing at them, and nobody was in mortal danger. What was more thrilling was that she had actually begun to open up on the long walk home, finally showing the woman that had been buried under all the heartbreak and strife.

As amazing as all these things were, he was dead tired. Without another word, he released her hand and trudged over to the least dusty spot on the floor and laid down. Nephtis looked at him like he had lost his mind. "What are you doing?" She asked as she tossed her jacket onto the table.

"I'm tired. This is what I do when I'm tired."

"You lay down on the floor?"

"I sleep," he corrected. Silently, Nephtis walked over and pulled him to his feet.

"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I made you sleep on the floor?" She said sweetly. Marx's heart did laps around his chest.

"Uh, well..." He stammered. This wasn't quite what he expected, but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. Nephtis seemed to realize what this sounded like before he asked the question.

"Not like that," she said as she slipped carefully into the bed. Both the floor and the bed itself whined unhappily. "I'm not quite ready for that yet. I just don't want to see you rolling around in the dust all night." Marx's heart slowed down to a light jog. Damn.

"You're the boss," he conceded as he squeezed in next to her. It was barely a two-person bed, more like one and a half. However, that was the least of their worries. The bed moaned loudly under the weight of two reploids. "Y'know..." he began.

"This..." she continued.

"Doesn't really..."

"Feel..."

"Safe," they both concluded. No sooner had they said this than the bed snapped, crashing to the ground and splintering at least three floorboards in the process. The floor was now beginning to sag dangerously.

"Shit," Nephtis hissed. Marx nearly jumped out of the bed.

"Hey, maybe this is a sign," he offered, sitting down on a chair to catch his breath. The chair seemed no happier to see him than the bed had. "Maybe we need to get a new place."

"Maybe? Marx, we've needed a new place since we got here. There's a catch, though."

"Money," Marx finished. "We're flat broke. Not a single cred."

"Wait..." Nephtis said thoughtfully, digging through her jeans. Her hand emerged with a tiny golden octagon. "We still have some of X's money left."

"Yeah," Marx muttered. "Even less than what we started out with. Look what that got us."

"Let's just suffer through it for one more night, shall we? I'll sleep on the floor with you."

"I don't think the floor will be too happy about that..."

"Screw the floor. I'm tired."

"I'm with you there, but..."

"But what?" Nephtis asked as she stretched herself out at the foot of the bed.

"We might hurt someone. I mean, if the floor breaks..." He broke off. His argument was quite literally falling on deaf ears. Nephtis had already shut down. As badly as he wanted to lose himself in her arms, necessity overrode those thoughts and he lay down on the far end of the apartment. With any luck, their weight would even out and he wouldn't wake up in someone else's room come morning.

* * *

X was running, chasing after the quickly fading form in the distance. Repeatedly, he called her name, but she never once looked back. Her cinnamon hair whipped about, obscuring her face. Nevertheless, X knew it was Calliope. And she was slipping out of his grasp once again.

After an eternity, she faded to black. X slumped to his knees, staring horrified at his hands. They were powerless to stop her death. Just like they were powerless to stop HQ from being demolished by Thunder Raven. Just like they were powerless to stop Mobius from going maverick and becoming 'Dark Dizzy'. Just like they were powerless to stop Drake from being sliced apart by the Godkarmachine. Just like...

"I'm disappointed, X," A familiar voice said. Abruptly, X realized the scene of a burning city had been replaced by the infuriating calm of Elysium. Not a plant stirred, and not a drop of water made a sound. He was still on his knees, and completely helpless as Genoscythe circled around to face him. "You don't have time to waste on dreaming."

"What do you mean?" X lashed out. "I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do!"

"You should know where Elysium is by now," Genoscythe said, almost scoldingly. "It was programmed into you the last time we talked."

"Well, maybe I don't _want _to find it! Whatever's there, it's causing more trouble than it's worth!"

"Calm down, X. You were just pulled out of a pretty harsh dream, I know. I knew those hunters too, remember?"

"You didn't love them," X said in an animalistic growl. "You never actually got attached to anything when you were here, did you? You were just playing the part."

Genoscythe nodded. "And now, you have to play yours. You know Malakai, right?"

"...vaguely."

"He's one of us. He's an agent for the Master. Ask him, and he should be able to get you to Elysium."

"Malakai?" X said, his rage momentarily snuffed by surprise. "How many agents do you have down here?"

"Well..._technically _they're not 'down' anywhere; Elysium is on Earth right now."

"It is? Why?"

Genoscythe sighed, and looked as if he were about to reveal something extremely embarrassing. "We got jumpy. We were afraid Eden would find a loophole or something that would allow it to activate the Carbon Reinitialization Program, so we destroyed Elysium's engines. We forced it to land in the Pacific Ocean, and that bought us some time. Of course, that time is almost up."

"But...didn't anyone see it?"

"We erased the minds of the ones who did," Genoscythe explained. "That's the beauty of controlling everything: we can do whatever the hell we want. So now, this brings us back to square one. I need you to get Malakai to take you to Elysium."

"No," X said, almost imperceptibly.

"What?"

"I said no. I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't have a choice here, X. It's either this, or watch your world get blown away."

"If anyone's going to decide what I'm gonna do, it's going to be me."

Genoscythe chuckled. "Remember? You can't move. You don't have any power here, and I could just as easily leave you stuck in your own mind if you don't co-operate."

"You wouldn't. You need me."

"Do we? Can you really be so sure?" X didn't respond. Instead, he began to think. This was _his _body, first and foremost. Nothing they could do would take that away from him. And, if it was his body, then he was still in control. Whether he had realized it or not, he was in control. Slowly, deliberately, X rose to his feet.

"I wouldn't try to bluff if I were you," X said coolly. "That's not the Genoscythe I remember."

"Well..." Genoscythe began, stumbling over his words. "I'm not the Genoscythe I used to be. I _used_ to be a reploid. Now I'm a Purifier again."

"You're not going to control me," X said as he raised his buster.

"X, wait! If you're gonna do this, let me tell you one thing before you do," he said disarmingly. X's buster wavered slightly, but he didn't drop it. "It's about Zero." This lowered X's buster. "Have you noticed anything strange about him?"

"Of course I have," X said.

"The virus is taking control of him," Genoscythe said cryptically. "It's been working him over all this time, but now Eden's accelerated the process. He doesn't have long."

"...until what?"

"Until he's a slave to Eden, and the Alphas."

"Alphas?"

"The faction trying to activate the CRP. It's easier to say."

"So, what do I do?"

"You watch him carefully. When he turns, be ready to put him down."

X laughed bitterly. "It seems so easy to you, doesn't it? No, I can't do something like that. Even if he _does _turn maverick...we'll just find a cure."

"You can't keep lying to yourself, X."

"Can, and will." X raised his buster again.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Genoscythe finished as X fired. When the shot hit his former commander, the entire scene about him shattered like glass and he returned to nothingness.

When X awoke, he felt it was the best sleep he'd had in ages.

* * *

This indomitable feeling, the realization that he was under nobody's control, was quickly shattered. As he opened the door to report to HQ, he found the box of chocolates he had laid at Alia's door, smashed against his. Chocolate had been steadily oozing down the sleek metal, and was just now beginning to pool on the floor. Another item of interest was a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. It was the love letter – unopened.

Resisting the urge to yell a string of curses down the hall, he threw the squished box of chocolate into a trash can in his room and crumpled the love letter into his pocket. What had he done now! When had an apology suddenly become an insult? Feeling the last of his confidence shattered, and being quite pissed about it, he left his room and made the short walk to Cain Laboratories. Stopping at the impromptu register list tacked to the lobby's wall, he made his way to the command room. To his utter dismay, he found Alia working furiously on a computer. Adding to this, she was alone in the room.

X expected one of two responses. The first being the cold shoulder. She would just pretend he didn't exist. The second being a fit of madness. She would probably leap at his throat, and start hitting his head against the wall. However, neither of these things happened. What actually happened was that Alia sprang up out of her seat at the sight of him and grabbed his hand, pulling him roughly over to the computer console.

"X, help!" She cried, err...helplessly. "Look at this!" She pointed to the screen. An oversized face appeared on the monitor, a geeky human with glasses and horrible acne. Above and below the face were the words, "u h4v3 b33n h4xx0rD. ur h0le n3tw0rk is m1n3. suxxx 2 b u."

"It's on all the computers!" She wailed. "I can't do anything."

"You think I _can_? I don't sit at a computer all day."

"Just...shoot it or something."

"Are you kidding?"

"If Signas finds out, I'm dead. I'd rather have a destroyed computer on my hands than a virus in the whole network," Alia pressed her fingers against her temples, trying her best to think and only making it harder. X suddenly noticed something.

"Hey, down there..." He pointed to a message in extremely small print on the lower right side of the picture. It read, "This is a message in leaking vital information: **Don't Do It**" X couldn't help but laugh.

"I think Signas just made his move."

"Hey, shut up! I thought I was done for!" Alia huffed, clicking on the 'Don't Do It' and immediately the screen went back to normal. An awkward silence fell over the room. X coughed uncomfortably.

"Uh, speaking of –"

"He's two floors up. Central office." Alia finished brusquely. She began working furiously on the computer again, trying her hardest to ignore him. With a painful glance back at her, X trudged back to the elevator and up two floors to the administration division. Finding the late Dr. Cain's old office, his hand hovered over the door as he heard an unknown voice from the other side.

"Look, about last night...I gotta tell you something." It was a male, teenager by the sound of him.

"What is it? Are you saying that that was really you, and not your evil twin?" A female now. A smile broadened on X's face as he realized what he was hearing.

"No...It was my evil twin's clone." The woman had suddenly burst into a wild fit of tears.

"I thought you loved me, Ricky!"

"I'm sorry, Shannon. I'm just a man. Or...am I?"

"What?"

"I should have told you sooner. I'm an alien from Jupiter, sent to observe human lifestyles and create twisted love triangles. Occasionally love squares." X heard a barely audible gasp from inside the room.

"I don't believe you!"

"Can a human do _this_?" With an exasperated sigh, X pushed open the door and the video screen flickered off in an instant. Signas sat at his desk, looking perfectly composed. X thought he saw a tear on the corner of one eye, but the Hunter Commander blinked and it disappeared.

"Ah, It's just you, X. I've been looking for you."

"That's not what it sounded like from outside." X said slyly.

Signas cleared his throat uncomfortably. "...right. We sent scouts out to the Maverick Disposal Plant, and we've uncovered something big. Something that could be the mavericks' main base of operations here."

X let out a slow breath. "Sigma?" He asked, trying to keep the venom out of his voice.

"We don't know, but from the size of this base, I can only assume so. Plus, a maverick broke in last night, and he said he was sent by Sigma."

"...how? Don't we have hunters keeping watch?"

"This wasn't just any maverick. He got away from Endymion."

"Is he okay?"

"Of course. This is _Endymion _you're asking about."

"Should've known," X muttered. "So, what are we going to do about the maverick base?"

Signas sat back in his chair. "I thought that would be obvious. We destroy it, just like they destroyed HQ. Hammurabi's code. An eye," Signas leaned forward for dramatic effect. "For an eye."

"When?"

"As soon as we can get enough hunters together to do it."

"Judging from the size of this place, how many do you think we'll need?"

"The entire 8th, 9th, 14th, 17th, and Unit 0, at least."

"Damn."

"This base is massive. If we aren't prepared, we _will _regret it."

X nodded as he stood. "I understand, sir. I'd like to speak to Endymion, do you know where he is?" Signas held up his hands.

"As far as I can tell, he's still in the medlab. However, knowing Endymion, I doubt it."

"I'll check just in case," X said as he opened the door. "I'm won't hope that we can finish this once and for all, but we'll at least keep Sigma dormant for a little while. Start getting the hunters ready, and call me when you're done."

"I will, X. Good luck."

* * *

"I don't understand," Endymion's monotone carried down the hallway. "Why can't you just release me?"

"You must be fully repaired before you are cleared for active duty again." An equally dull Lifesaver's voice followed it.

"I _am _fully repaired! This is merely aesthetic!"

"You are only 99.8 percent repaired. By regulations, the skin on your face must be sealed properly." X raised an eyebrow and walked more quickly.

"Captain!" X called out as he neared the pair. Endymion turned to look at him, and X nearly jumped back. Three jagged scars ran across his face, from the upper-right of his skull down to his neck. It might have extended farther, but Endymion's gray hair obscured the rest of it. "...what happened?"

"I was beaten," Endymion said plainly. "I need these to remind me of my failure." X raised an eyebrow, biting back the urge to say _I doubt that_.

"I need to know exactly what happened last night," he said, casting a dismissive glance at the Lifesaver.

"A maverick broke in. He used abilities similar to mine, and he attacked Douglas."

"I'll bet Alia's happy," X muttered under his breath.

"Normally, we would all rejoice. However, Douglas stumbled onto some important information regarding the technical issues we've been having. He has isolated the source to a point in the Pacific Ocean, but he was attacked before I could find out where it is."

"He's not dead, is he?"

"No, but he is being extensively repaired. I have made a theory of my own. This disturbance, whatever it is...it is called Elysium." X's eyes bulged, and Endymion gave him a quizzical stare. "Odd, Stealth Claw said you didn't know about it..."

"Care to explain?" X asked, trying to keep his breathing steady.

"The maverick...Stealth Claw, he said Sigma sent him to check on our progress with finding Elysium. I don't know what it means, but Claw mentioned a 'promised land'. You know what he's talking about?"

"Yeah," X said. "I'll tell you about it once we can get everyone together. So, did this maverick do anything else?"

"Not exactly," Endymion said, in a rare display of emotion. "However, I've got a suspicion about the girl Commander Zero picked up the other day. I swear, she recognized the maverick! Not only recognized him, but helped him escape."

"...Are you serious?" X asked, knowing full well that Endymion never joked.

"We can't prove anything at this point, but we believe she shut down the security systems and distracted me while Stealth Claw made his escape. Whether she did or not, she _knew _that maverick!"

"Where is she now?"

"I believe she is in the other section of the medlab."

"Alright. I'm going to see if I can get some answers out of her myself. Do me a favor though, Endy."

"Yes?"

"Don't tell Zero."

"Why not? More than any of us, he has a right to know."

"He's got enough on his plate without something like this to think about. He doesn't need the extra pressure."

"He doesn't need a maverick spy either!" Endymion interrupted.

"...Plus, this is all based on your opinion. This could turn out to be a false alarm," X continued undaunted. "Trust me, we wouldn't be helping him."

Pyre Mystic was trying her hardest to stop sweating bullets, but she was failing miserably. Not only was she back in the clutches of the Maverick Hunters, but that creepy silver Maverick Hunter was on to her. She sat on the edge of a bed, swinging her legs back and forth when a bold, yet soft, voice broke the silence.

"Excuse me, miss...?" She whipped her head about to face him. He was moderately tall, only a bit taller than she was. His unruly hair was a very light shade of brown, and his piercing green eyes stopped her breath for a split second. He exuded a sort of calm aura, one of quiet strength. He walked like a man who believed in what he was doing.

Without realizing it, she had started trembling. Mystic fidgeted nervously as she replied with "My name's Mystic...are you Zero?" She asked hopefully. She prayed that this reploid was Zero.

"Uh..." His step slightly faltered, and he seemed oddly taken aback. "No, I'm Megaman X." He was now standing right in front of her, and she found herself sweating for a different reason.

"I'm sorry, did I say something weird?" She offered.

"Not really," X said, scratching his head. "Well...sorta. I don't want to sound like an egomaniac, but we're kind of famous. It's just strange for someone to get us confused, that's it." He sat down on the bed next to her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Oh. Well, I'm not really normal. I'm don't know a whole lot about the world." Mystic found herself tripping over her own words. _Damn, he's gonna think I'm a defect. _

"That's alright," X said, flashing another reassuring smile. "I can understand if you're a little nervous after what happened last night. I heard you got caught in the middle of a maverick attack."

"Yeah..." She whispered. Then, she realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to weasel out any connection she had to the mavericks. Well, if the silver reploid was going to play it that way, then so be it. "Yeah, that's it. I just can't get the picture of that crazy maverick outta my head."

"It's tough, I know," X said.

"And the weirdest thing is, I've seen him before." At this, X's eyes widened a fraction of a bit. "I saw him attacking a group of humans downtown. In fact, I was trying to get away from it when I got caught up in that other maverick attack..." She gave him a mirthless grin. "Ran away from one maverick right into another."

A pall seemed to have lifted off of X's face. He stood up, that aura of calm nearly doubled. "Thanks a lot, Mystic. I'd like to get to know you better, if you're going to be staying around HQ..."

"Of course I am!" She very nearly shouted. "I mean...I don't have a home. No family, no real friends, and I'm too scared to go back to my old haunts with that maverick on the loose, you know?" She said, hoping to cover up her irrational outburst.

"Well...great," X replied, his eyes boring into hers. "I'll see you around then."

"Dinner at 7?"

"Yea – wait, what?"

"If you wanna see me around, then take me to dinner tomorrow. Seven o' clock."

X paused for an excruciating moment, then it seemed as if he had come to a revelation. "I don't see why not," he said, and Mystic thought she could see him clutching a crumpled piece of paper with the words 'dear Alia' written on it. With a small wave, he turned and walked down the hall. Mystic let out a deep, satisfied sigh. Butterflies were having a party in her stomach. However, reality soon hit her like a hammer, crushing all the butterflies in the process.

"Shit!" She hissed as her eyes shrunk into pinpricks. She had just gotten a date with the wrong Maverick Hunter.

**End of chapter 25**

AN: Still not a lot happening, but it's all buildup for what's gonna happen soon. In the next few chapters, the action and story is gonna pick up something fierce. On another note, how's the love pentagon I've just made? (X – Alia – Zero – Mystic – Claw, for those who aren't keeping track anymore). Seriously, that was just a spur of the moment thing. In fact, about half of this story is spur of the moment things. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be telling all of you these things...

PS: Hey, school's out! And I'm already bored! That means chapters galore, unless something really interesting starts happening in the next few weeks.


	27. Chapter 26: Counterstrike

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Mission 5: Destroy Maverick Headquarters

Chapter 26: Counterstrike

By Genoscythe

**Mission**** 5: Destroy Maverick Headquarters**

**Maverick Leader: Sigma**

**Main Objective: Retire all mavericks and neutralize Sigma.**

**Secondary Objective: Terminate the International Criminal Tempest.

* * *

**

"Is everyone here?" Signas asked as he swept his gaze across the room. Commanders from the 8th Armored Division, 9th Ranger Division, 14th Melee Division, 17th Standard Division and Special Unit 0 were all sitting in a spacious lab room. This particular lab had been chosen for its holo-projector, which now displayed an estimated map of the Maverick HQ. "Good. Now, you all know what we're here for?" X nodded his head, the rest looked clueless. With a sigh, Signas began detailing their plan of attack.

"This _is _a highly defended base...for the mavericks. However, we have greater numbers and greater firepower. There's no reason for defeat if the 8th keeps all the exits covered with Ride Armors while the rest enter the base here, here, and here and flush them out." Several of the commanders nodded, the others merely looked on. "We have reason to believe that Sigma is hiding in this base. He is to be avoided at all costs. Commanders X and Zero will find and deal with him, but we can't afford any extra loss of life because someone wants to be the hero of the day. Make sure your hunters stick with the plan."

"Also, Interpol has informed us of a criminal working in the mavericks' upper echelons. His name is Tempest, and we have been authorized to kill him on sight. We're Maverick Hunters, so dealing with Tempest is not a top priority. However, if anyone has the chance, engage and destroy him. We could really use Interpol's support."

"This should be a fairly simple operation. We have the Sigma Virus on the run, and some day soon we may all rest easier. If we do this right, that day may come tomorrow." Several informal cheers rose from the crowd, Zero's being the loudest by far, and Signas flashed his patented 'no-nonsense' grimace. "That should be all. Individual objectives and a written copy of the briefing are sitting on the table if you have additional questions. Say your farewells today, and have your divisions prepped by midnight."

* * *

Marx shielded his eyes from the glaring sun as he stepped out of the taxi. Barren, dry land stretched out before him, and the hulking ruins of Maverick Hunter HQ only accented the emptiness. He tapped his foot impatiently as Nephtis paid the taxi with X's money, and she soon stepped out. "You still haven't told me why we're here," he remarked.

"I know," she replied briefly, walking briskly toward the wreckage that was slowly being cleared away by the Neo Tokyo government. So slowly, in fact, that the only way to tell any work was being done was by the caution tape wrapped around the site of the destruction. She circled around HQ until she found the caved-in entrance to the hangar. She stood staring thoughtfully at the rubble for a moment, and Marx thought now was a good time to try again.

"Well, are you going to te-" he began.

"No," she cut him off coolly. Having seemed to make up her mind, she started forward, ripping away the plastic caution tape like wet toilet paper and finding a weak spot in the rubble. "Help me dig," she said, grabbing hold of a chunk of metal and throwing it to the side. The larger portion of debris sagged threateningly. With a shrug, Marx began clearing away rubble alongside her. In no time, they had made a hole that Nephtis deemed large enough, and she slipped through. He followed, knocking his shoulder against a piece of debris and shaking loose a good hunk of the collapsed ceiling.

"Watch it," she muttered as she turned on her NV. Marx bit back a retort. Being a smartass definitely wasn't going to make her like him more. After a trip through the ruined, dilapidated cavern, they came upon Nephtis's old office. A massive I-beam had fallen through the roof and crushed half of the small room, and Marx could hear his love praying that the other half was still in good shape. He waited outside as she clambered through the smashed window and into her office.

After a minute of rummaging, Nephtis tossed a long, rectangular box out the window, and the end caught Marx in the chest. Without bothering with an apology, Nephtis swung her legs over the windowsill and rushed over to the box. She flipped the latches and pushed open the lid while Marx clutched at his injured chest. The contents of the box were obscured to Marx, but he could see her face light up when she peered inside.

"I can't believe my luck..." she murmured.

"Yeah, I can't believe mine either," Marx said dryly, stepping around the crate and sitting down next to her. What sat inside, nestled between thick cushions, was a radiant set of gilded combat armor. From Nephtis's earlier description, he realized this was Osiris's old armor. Laying next to it was an equally radiant staff, with faintly shimmering serrated blades on each end. "For me?" He asked hopefully.

"For me," Nephtis corrected. Marx raised an eyebrow.

"You know how to use it?"

"Well enough. Osiris taught me the basics of fighting with a staff once."

"What about the armor? It doesn't look like it'll fit with your, uh...figure."

She shot him a provocative glance. "I should've known you'd think of something like that. And yes, I'm sure there's enough room in the chest plate." She smiled and punched him in the arm. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"I could think of a few things."

"Marx!"

"Hey, I just work with what you give me." At this, she leapt at his throat, pinning him to the ground and shaking him like a rag doll. "Ow! Hey! I give, alright?" Reluctantly, she let go of his neck and lay down on her side. "Y'know, we're alone here..." He began. "Miles away from civilization. Just you and me. Alone. Together."

"Marx, if this is how you're gonna act every time we've got some time alone, maybe this isn't going to work out between us," Nephtis said, her voice completely serious. "I've been a slut my whole life, I wanna try being modest for a change."

"Aww, why am I the unlucky one?" He said in mock-hurt.

"Because..." She began, curling up next to him and laying an arm across his chest. "I actually _like _you. Even if you're a perv sometimes, you've got a decent side too. That's something I've never seen in a guy before. So, at least let me know what it's like to really be loved. Please?"

Marx pretended to be deep in thought, and at length he placed a hand on the back of her head and said, "I don't see why not." She leaned forward and graced him with a kiss.

"Thanks," she said as she rolled off of him and got to her feet. "Now for the fun part."

"...fun part?"

"Walking home with a crate full of armor."

* * *

As Zero walked out of the meeting, he was given an unbelievable sight. The beautiful blonde woman he had rescued the other day was leaning against the wall, and she was talking in a hushed voice with Megaman X. Feeling himself cringe, and not knowing exactly why, Zero tuned up his audio receptors and acted casual.

"...so we're still on for tonight?" She asked plaintively.

"Of course. Can we go at six instead?"

"Why?"

"I'd like more time to prepare for the mission tonight," X said. "And I'd also like more time with you," he added with a roguish smile that looked all too much like Zero's own. She slapped him playfully on the arm, and Zero tried his best not to stare daggers at the two of them. "What's wrong with six?"

"Nothing, really..." the woman said. "It's just that seven's a lucky number. I'm weird like that."

X chuckled. "Don't worry, I know weirder. Take my friend Zero, for example."

"I don't think I'd appreciate that very much," Zero interrupted, after he had silently made his way over to them. He could eclipse X on a normal day. Now he positively towered over him.

"...hey, Zero. Speak of the devil," X said, feigning calmness. The blonde-haired reploid laid a hand on X's shoulder and slowly pried him away from the woman.

"This'll just take a sec, babe!" Zero called to her as he dragged X through the doors they had so recently left through. "Guy talk," he explained as he slammed the doors shut. Without looking at him, Zero shoved X into a chair and sat on a table across from him. "Okay, first of all, _what the hell were you talking about?_"

"What's this about, Zero? I didn't know talking was against your rules."

"You know how I feel about that girl."

"No, I know _what_ you feel. You feel lust. You don't even know her name yet, do you Zero?"

"Sure I do. It's, uh...Sandy, and this isn't just lust. I felt something when I saw her. I felt like she was going to be important to me."

"Her name's Mystic, and that 'something' you felt is the need to fill up the empty spaces in your life!" X accused. "Ever since Iris died, that's all you've been doing. The drinking, the women, the recklessness. You're either trying to get yourself killed, or you're trying to piece your existence back together." Zero's eyes narrowed to pinpricks.

"What, this is an excuse to tell me about my problems? This isn't about me. This is about you, and how you took Sandy-"

"Mystic," X corrected.

"Whatever. The point is, you knew how I'd feel about it, and you did it anyway. That's not like you, X."

"You're right, it's not." X conceded. "But I wasn't the one that came onto her. I talked with her for five seconds and she latched onto me. What was I supposed to do?"

Zero nodded. "Ya know, you're right. Perfectly right." He gestured toward the door. "I'm sorry. You can go."

"You know I wouldn't lie, Zero. Especially not to you."

"But you were all ready to jump on the idea of backstabbing me."

"That's what I'm getting at, here. I wasn't _trying _to take her from you!"

"Of course. She came onto you. What could you do? It's not like you could've said 'Well, I'd like to, but my friend is madly in love with you, so I think you should go see him instead.' Nope, that would never work."

"How could you expect me to do something like that?"

"I would've done the same for you!" Zero shouted, and all became silent. X was at a loss for words, and Zero couldn't believe what he had just said. "At least, I would've. I'm not sure anymore."

"I think you're overreacting a little, Zero," X said, his voice suddenly calm. "You don't know this girl. She might not be your type at all."

"But..." Zero began, then shook his head. His argument wasn't making sense, even to him. "Just get outta here. I'm done talking about this." X stood up, and if Zero had cared to look, he would have seen deep hurt and regret in his eyes.

"Look, if you want, I'll tell her the date's off. I'll –"

"Go, dammit! I've gotta figure out how to stop hating you by tonight's mission." Zero spat. Without another word, X vanished through the door. Suddenly, the sound of clapping filled the room. Zero whirled around to its source and found Signas, still sitting at the desk that he had never left after the briefing was over.

"Bravo," The commander said. "I should have recorded that." Zero merely fixed him with a stare that could make plants wither and die. Signas promptly shut his mouth. His thoughts boiling, Zero stood and kicked the nearest chair into the wall. Three floors down, the hunters there thought it was an earthquake.

As Zero stormed out of the room, Signas held out a hand. "Wait! Just one thing." He waited for Zero to ask him what it was, but the hunter didn't even look at him. "We just reactivated Douglas this morning, and he says he has some new weapons for you. Go to the basement through the lobby, and take Axl with you." Zero simply gave him a sigh of contempt. "You know Zero, if you're still having problems, I could probably help you a little bit. I know a lot about these kinds of-" The door slammed shut before Signas could finish his sentence.

* * *

Marx sat next to Axl, trying to keep at least one person between him and Zero. Something had happened to the blonde hunter since he had last seen him. It was like the time when they had first met, when Marx had shot him in the arm. However, this time there seemed to be no apparent cause for it, which made him all the more nervous.

"This, Zero, is the D Glaive. I'm sure you remember it from fighting the Red Alert Syndicate?" Douglas squeaked, hefting a long silver pole out of his box.

"Yeah," was all Zero said.

"It retains all of the functions of the previous one. However, at the press of a button..." Douglas ran a pudgy hand down the D Glaive until he felt a tiny nub near the bottom. He pressed it, and the staff suddenly collapsed into itself. "We have here the H Shot." Douglas activated the weapon, and a thin metal spike extended out from the front of the now palm-sized cylinder. A curved green energy blade flickered to life, surrounding the metal spike. "Simply toss the weapon in any direction, and the H Shot will attach itself to a wall or ceiling by first burrowing in with the blade, and then lodging the metal rod inside. It could also be used on enemies, or as a whip."

Zero reached out to grab the weapon, but Douglas pulled away. "There will be a time and place to test out all these weapons, yes. Not now. I have others to show you. Like this! The K Knuckle!" Douglas brought out a pair of thick metal knuckles.

"Looks useless," Zero snorted.

"Well, you see..." Douglas began, but began fumbling over his words. He was too used to his colleagues agreeing with him, and a differing opinion was a shock to his system. "Well, it's not _entirely _useless..."

"Douglas, my hands are MADE of metal. How would a pair of knuckles make any difference? And why? Not only is a beam saber more powerful, but it's longer."

"Uh..." Douglas took one long, hard look at the K Knuckles in his hand. Then, abruptly, he threw them off into the darkness of the basement. "Never mind that. Now _here's _a weapon for you!" He said, fishing through the box again. Marx thought he either sounded like a desperate salesman or a drunk Santa Claus. Either was fitting for Douglas.

However, the contraption he pulled out of the box dashed any and all of Marx's doubts in the fat little reploid. It was shaped roughly like a gauntlet, painted red and white for Zero's armor. It was very smooth and rounded, and seemed to fit on top of Zero's arm. However, this was not the impressive part. The impressive part was the multitude of blades sticking out the front. They curled in on each other, as if to make some kind of deranged metal flower.

"This..." Douglas began, with more than a hint of pride in his voice. "Is the P Killer. It attaches over your buster arm and interfaces directly with your firing mechanism. It has four modes of fire. The first does this..." Douglas fitted the P Killer around his own arm and waited for it to connect to his systems. Then, the blades on the front came to life, snapping upright and spinning about in a dazzling pinwheel of silver and green. Marx noticed that the edges of the blades had started to glow with energy. He, Axl, and even Zero were staring at it with a mix of admiration, amazement, and pure desire. It was a work of art.

"Don't get too excited yet," Douglas continued, and shut off the weapon. The blades slowed and the energy coating their edges dissipated. They fell forward and locked into their neutral position. "The second mode of fire discharges the warhead," Douglas tapped the blades almost lovingly. "It will fly in a straight path until it hits something or exceeds its programmed range limit." The three of them waited hungrily for a demonstration, but the green-armored mechanic made no move to do so.

"The third mode combines the first and second. By spinning the blades first, and then firing the warhead, it will continue to spin as long as it remains airborne, and will keep going until it reaches the range limit or hits something it cannot tear apart." Marx could see drool hanging from Zero's mouth. "The last mode cannot be used unless the warhead is removed from the main body, either lodged in a wall or taken off manually. The fourth mode is a highly corrosive plasma cannon, fired by setting off the primary fire trigger. It somewhat lacks the force of a beam cannon, but it is highly effective."

Zero looked dumbfounded. "You...you're joking, right? I mean, this is 'pick on Zero' day, isn't it? This is like some kind of prank that you and the eggheads thought up because I call you eggheads all the time and you don't really like it so you wanted to trick me by making the fricking coolest weapon ever and then going 'hey, it doesn't actually work! We just thought it would be funny to see the look on your face because we hate you' and then I'd be really sad because this thing is so fricking cool and dear god I'm rambling." Marx was thankful that reploids don't really need air, because Zero would have died of asphyxiation somewhere in the middle of his sentence if he had needed to breathe.

Douglas merely laughed. "No, I assure you. Here, I'll let you hold it as long as you promise not to turn it on." Detaching the P Killer from his arm, he handed it to Zero, who had the look of a child that was just handed his first BB gun for Christmas. "Next I've got the B Fa-"

"Does it really matter? I've got all I need right here," Zero said, stroking the P Killer lovingly.

"You've got a point, again." Douglas dropped the B Fan back into the box. "Moving on to you, Axl. I've upgraded your Spiral Magnum with increased range and speed, and I've finally been able to duplicate it." The green mechanic dropped two hefty pistols into Axl's trembling hands. "I know how much you love the magnum, so bring it back sometime and I'll see if I can upgrade it even more." Axl nodded vigorously, unable to speak.

"Now, I believe you still have your Ray Gun, correct?" Another nod. "And your Blast Launcher and Flame Burner?" A third nod. "Throw those two away. I've created an entirely new ballistic weapon for you, and it combines both. I call it the Napalm Cannon..." Douglas pulled out a long, thick silver gun with a barrel shaped like a hexagon that slowly sloped downward and ended in a flat stock that seemed to fit over the shoulder. It was fairly nondescript, save for the two loading pods on top and the two handles on the bottom.

"This weapon packs quite a kick, so the stock fits around your entire shoulder like so," Douglas said as he laid the gun on Axl's right shoulder. The young reploid gripped the two handles and shifted the weight around a bit, when suddenly an orange-tinted targeting reticule popped out of the side, causing Axl to emit an almost inaudible squeal of delight.

"It's...homing?" He asked, choking back emotion.

"Yes, boy. It's homing."

"I...don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, because I've taken the liberty of upgrading another of your old weapons. Me and the other 'eggheads' decided that the Ice Gatling wasn't being put to its full potential. We downplayed some of the ice properties, and now it is simply a seven-barreled, 30 millimeter, 700 pound, 5,000rounds per minute killing machine with cryo-freezing bullets." Douglas now had in his lap a gun that was at least twice as long and thick as the Napalm Cannon. It had been painted black and red, with shark jaws imprinted on the base.

It looked nothing like the old Ice Gatling. The water feeding system had been taken out completely, and the barrels were wider and mostly concealed by the base, which had been elongated and made more fluid-looking. Attached to the bottom right side was a massive ammo barrel that would've made it impossible for a human to wield. He handed the weapon over to Axl, and the young hunter looked down once at the gatling gun in his hand, then back up at Douglas.

"T-thank you...God," Axl practically wept.

"Hey!" Marx interrupted. "Father Christmas! Got anything for me?"

Douglas squinted at him. "I'm not entirely sure who you are."

"I'm Marx. You've heard of me by now, haven't you?"

"Not familiar at all."

"Come on. I'm the reploid with all the fancy system upgrades and the shoulder cannons," Marx said, trying his best to sound important. Douglas merely began packing up his remaining gear. "I fought a maverick leader named Vulcan Stinger. I helped stop that psychic spider thing. Don't I get anything?" Douglas chose to completely ignore him.

"Alright, both of you. We've designated the old parking structure as our testing grounds. We have also expressly forbid any cars to be parked there, so if you happen to find one, it's free game."

"Hey, I'm not done here," Marx interrupted.

"You're boring!" Zero said gruffly, turning his attention back to Douglas.

"Let's test out those new weapons, boys." The three of them left the basement, and for a moment Marx contemplated leaving. However, the male's desire to watch things explode deterred his sense of pride, and he quickly jogged after them. As soon as he stepped out of the basement, he was assaulted by a beautiful sight that stopped him in his tracks. Nephtis was standing before him, clad in Osiris's gilded combat armor. She looked stunning, covered head to toe with shimmering gold and smooth edges. Only half of her face was visible due to the helmet extension, and her hair spilled out the back, half of it resting on her shoulders.

"Wow..." He murmured, transfixed to her glimmering body.

"You like?" She asked, twirling around so he could see her back. When she was facing him again, she was beaming. "I'm coming with you tonight. To the Maverick HQ." Marx'sreaction was that of surprise. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her waist, careful not to stab himself on one of the feather-like blades protruding from her armor.

"I know I'll be in good company, but why?" He asked.

"I've got scores to settle," Nephtis replied. "And besides, you know me."

"Right," he said, smiling. "Not gonna sit on your hands and let the others do all the work. I remember."

"Good," she said, attempting to nestle her head on his shoulder, but only managing to stab him with one of her helmet's spikes. She leaned back while he rubbed his cheek. "Sorry."

"S'okay. I'm used to getting hurt with stuff by now."

Nephtis giggled. "By the way, thanks."

"My pleasure. I'll be your pincushion any day."

"No, idiot. I mean thanks for not being mad at me."

"...why would I be mad?"

"Because that's the way men get when a woman takes initiative. Sometimes they get overprotective and won't let them take any risks, sometimes they feel threatened that their girl is just as eager to fight as they are. Either way, it bugs the hell out of me."

"Hey, I'm a jackass sometimes, but not like that."

"I know," she said, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "That's why I love you and I haven't beaten you senseless yet."

"And thank god for that," Marx muttered. "Hey, wanna see stuff getting blown up?"

"Would I?" Her face lit up, and he began tugging her in the direction Axl, Zero and Douglas had gone.

**End of Chapter 26**

AN: I had way too much fun writing the new weapons part. And hey, if anyone recognizes the P Killer, then good for you. Just don't tell anyone else; let them either find out on their own or think that I came up with such an awesome weapon myself. One last thing: If the perceptive ones noticed that there isn't a '**Commence Operation**' dealy at the bottom of the mission briefing, it's because the operation hasn't commenced yet. The orders have been given, but the mission hasn't begun. So it's not a lame error on my part, just a little bit of nitpicky technical crap.


	28. Chapter 27: Immortal

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Mission 5: Destroy Maverick Headquarters

Chapter 27: Immortal

By Genoscythe

"I guess this is goodbye...old friend," Axl said, holding the soda can up high for all to see. Then with a flick of his wrist, the can flew skyward and Axl raised the Napalm Cannon. A second before he fired, a silver blur snatched up the can and flew back to the ground as if yanked by a string. Axl looked down at Zero, P Killer attached to his arm. The soda can was speared on one of its blades. "Damn it, Zero! Let me have my moment!"

"Watch the language, kid," Zero chided, spinning the soda can on his only available forefinger.

"Oh, you think you're tough?" Axl retorted, throwing down the Napalm Cannon and grabbing for the massive black gun at his feet. "Then dance!" Zero's eyes widened as the gatling gun's barrels began to spin. He took off at a sprint just as the first few bullets blew fist-sized chunks in the wall. As Marx watched, the neocrete around the bullet holes began to freeze over.

"That must be what the cryo rounds are for..." he said, almost to himself. Nephtis was too busy laughing and watching Zero prance about the roof of the parking structure to notice.

"Boys, boys!" Douglas cried, waving his stubby arms in the air. "These _aren't _toys!" With a sigh, Axl let go of the trigger and Zero slowed to a jog. "If you're going to shoot at something, shoot at the car I found a few levels down!" Axl and Zero took off, boosters ignited. It was a race to see who would get to blow up the vehicle first. Nephtis laughed again, and Marx pulled her to her feet. He ran after them, with the chocolate-haired woman on his heels.

When he finally caught up to them, he saw them both standing stock-still in front of the car. Marx didn't understand why, it was just a cheap sedan.

"What's up, Zero?" he asked.

"...this is the car Alia rented last night," Zero responded, seeming unsure of what to do. "I'm sure of it. I saw her with it when I went to X's."

"What were you doing at X's at night, huh?" Marx said with a grin. However, the joke wasn't well received. Zero whirled around and pointed the P Killer at his head.

"Make another crack like that and we'll have to clean you off the ceiling." His voice was dead serious. Marx found himself unable to reply, so he merely nodded. With a small sense of urgency, he grabbed Nephtis by the hand and led her off to a corner where it was safe to watch.

"So...what do we do about the car?" Axl queried.

"What do you think we do? We blow it to bits."

"But it's _Alia's _car. X'll maul us!" As if on cue, the elevator nearby opened, and X stepped out of it. He immediately spotted the group of reploids and the nearby pile of weaponry. He made his way over to them, and looked from the gatling gun, to the P Killer, to Alia's car.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"We're doing you a favor," Zero replied, and gave Axl the signal to fire. In a blaze of light and whistling projectiles, the car became Swiss cheese. Frozen Swiss cheese. The crimson Maverick Hunter had already powered up his weapon, and he launched it at the frozen sedan. With the blades spinning, it took several seconds longer to reach the car than if it were closed, but that only allowed them time to savor the moment.

As the spinning wheel of death made contact with the iced car, they all looked away as huge ice chunks were sent toward them. A sound like metal scraping on a chalkboard filled the parking structure, and when the warhead returned to Zero, they all turned back. What remained was an eviscerated pile of ice chunks.

"Uh..." X said slowly. "That _was _Alia's car, right?"

"Mmhmm," Zero said proudly.

"Do you think she'll mind that it's a pile of frozen metal now?"

"Yeah, but we can fix that," Zero gave Axl a nod, and the little hunter picked up the Napalm Cannon again. He centered the remains of Alia's car in his sights, and let loose one of the four missiles loaded in the barrel. As soon as the first had left the gun, another slid up to replace it. The missile exploded, and a wave of fire sprayed out in every direction. When the smoke cleared, only about half of the car was left. However, what was left was completely frost-free. "There. Now it's just a pile of metal."

X opened his mouth to yell at them, but suddenly stopped himself. "Wait a second. I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"That's the spirit, X!"

X suddenly looked downcast. "You're not mad anymore...Zero?"

"You'd be amazed at what a few new gadgets will do for stress relief." Zero replied, waving the P Killer about haphazardly. "Wanna try some of these beauties out?"

"No thanks, I've gotta get ready to..." he paused. "Go somewhere," he finished, casting an apologetic glance at Zero. "Where's Marx? I heard he was down here."

"Over here, away from the blast radius!" Marx called out, waving a hand from over Nephtis's shoulder. X strode leisurely to their position on the floor, and for the first time Marx noticed a ratty brown bag slung around X's shoulder.

"All right, since you're a real Maverick Hunter now, you'll need a real Maverick Hunter's weapon." X dug through the bag, and pulled out a weapon that looked like an elongated black sub-machinegun. Two immediate differences were the grenade launcher attached to the bottom of the barrel and the large extension resting on top.

"What the..." Marx muttered, taking the weapon in his hands. "It's ancient."

"It belonged to a good friend of mine," X said, sighing heavily. "His name was Drake, and he was killed in the Doppler Rebellion." It was then that Marx found a small disc taped to the side of the weapon.

"This is...?"

"A recording of my optical feeds from the moment he died. Watch it before we leave tonight." X turned around and made for the elevator.

"Why?"

X glanced back, and he could see his face contorted in anguish. "You need to know that we aren't immortal." He looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead he hurried off toward the elevator. Nephtis suddenly sprung up out of Marx's lap and ran after X.

"Commander! Wait!"

"...what?"

"I'm coming with the 17th tonight." She said, a hard edge to her voice. Perhaps she already knew what X was going to tell her.

"Not a chance," he said flatly. Marx stood when he saw the look on his love's face.

"X..." She began, addressing him without his rank for the first time. "If you could give me a good reason, I might listen to you." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "_However_, I know you can't. I know what you're going to say."

"You're a non-combat reploid."

"I'm a woman, you mean?"

"I never said that."

"But you know it. Whether you realize it or not, you automatically think a girl isn't strong enough to take on a maverick."

"Nephtis..." Zero warned from afar. From X's expression, he could tell it was too late.

"Nephtis, you can't imagine..." He rounded on her. "You can't imagine how wrong you are. She was as strong as any of us..." X then noticed that he wasn't making any sense. "I'm sorry. I can't let you come along. You can't fight."

"Bullshit," Nephtis countered. "I'm a custom reploid. I can fight just as well as anything."

X closed his eyes. "You don't have any experience."

"Like hell, I don't!" Marx had caught up to them, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. "I've..." She stopped, realizing that she couldn't tell anyone about her past. "I've had experience." She finished with.

"That's not good enough. I'm not gonna send any more people to their deaths than I absolutely have to." X entered the elevator and shut the doors before Nephtis could reply. Marx gently gave her hand a squeeze.

"It's alright, Akila," he said, while Axl and Zero exchanged worried glances. She returned the squeeze.

"Of course it is," she said, turning around and walking back to their corner.

"So you're going anyway?" He asked, knowing that she wouldn't be so happy otherwise.

"Of course I am," she replied. "And I think I know how to get X to calm down a bit."

"Don't blame him," Zero said, as he had walked over to the two of them. "He was serious about not judging you by your gender. His old girlfriend was a Maverick Hunter, and a damn good one."

"I see," Nephtis murmured. Marx lost interest in the conversation, and he began fiddling with the new weapon X had given him. It wasn't anything special, at least not until he found the two switches above the safety. He flipped one, and suddenly the extension on top of the gun fell forward and locked over the barrel. He turned the weapon over in his hands, and discovered that he now held a shotgun, and not a machine gun.

"Sweet," he muttered, and both Nephtis and Zero gave him a glare. Apparently he was deep into explaining Calliope's death to her, and Marx had interrupted one of the more emotional moments. "Sorry," he said disarmingly. _Well, might as well watch the recording, _he thought as he picked up the small disc and slid it into the back of his head. As he fell into a comatose state, he could hear a gruff voice talking to him.

* * *

"_A damn trash heap, of all places," the emerald Maverick Hunter muttered, wading through a pile of reploid corpses with Megaman X close behind him. "Zero'd better know what he's doin', or I'll light that mop of his on fire." X chuckled, and Marx was viewed a glimpse of Zero running about with his hair on fire, most likely a mental image that X had conjured up at the time._

_"I'm sure he found a way in already," X said. "Why else would he tell us to go this way?"_

_"For shits and giggles? I dunno." Drake kicked a reploid torso out of the way. "Swear to god, after this I'm done. No more killing, no more running around, no more wading through shit..." Another mental image came up, and this one caught Marx by surprise. A woman with cinnamon hair, brown with lighter streaks swirling through it, lay on a stark white bed. Her round face broke into a smile, and she reached out a slender hand to grasp X's._

_"Come back soon," she said, barely above a whisper. Then, the image snapped back into reality, and X picked up the pace._

_"Let's hurry," X remarked as he passed by Drake._

_"No, I'd rather slow down. Ya know, enjoy the scenery a bit," he commented dryly._

_"I want to see Calliope again..." X said wistfully. "Before we left, she was talking about taking things a little farther." Drake let out a loud whistle._

_"It's about damn time," he said with a snicker. "I guess this means you can't die yet."_

_"Yeah..."_

_"Hey, speaking of Calliope, there's something I want'cha to tell her."_

_"Why me?"_

_"For one thing, I don't think I could do it myself. For another, I may not get the chance."_

_"Don't say stuff like that."_

_"I'm not stupid. I know I can't keep up with you, and this Doppler guy's a bona fide psycho. Who knows what kinda crap he has waiting for us?" As soon as he said this, the trash in front of them exploded, and two figures leapt out. Figures X thought he had seen the last of._

_"Bit! Byte! What the hell are you doing here?" X growled._

_"Hello again, X. If you don't remember..." Bit began._

_"...you never killed us," Byte finished. "The good doctor's given us upgrades..."_

_"...and this time we're playing for keeps."_

_"You know these cunts?" Drake asked quietly._

_"Nightmare Police," X replied. Both Bit and Byte suddenly became awash with light, and the two forms melted into one. Slowly, this mass took shape, and when the light faded away, there stood a four-legged, Anubis-headed monstrosity. A serrated, golden halo floated behind the upper half of the creature._

_"The Godkarmachine," they said, their voices merged together. "You can't kill a god, X."_

_"What about me?" Drake said as he fired an explosive shotgun round into the Godkarmachine's face. The Anubis head snapped back from the blow, and it gave out an ear-rending howl. A moment later, an energy sword was in its hands and it was leaping at the two Maverick Hunters. X rolled to the side, bringing up a buster that looked far different from the one he had now. He began charging up, and watched as Drake dodged a swipe from the beam sword._

_Drake fired once more, and the shot glanced off of Bit's shoulder. The Godkarmachine growled and one of its arms came free of its socket. X fired his charged shot, but by then the fist was already upon the green hunter. It grabbed Drake by the waist and slammed him into the ground, and the Godkarmachine turned to X. The charged shot had barely done a thing._

_The arm returned, and this time it fired at X. He tried to dodge, but it swerved and grabbed him nonetheless. The appendage hovered for a moment, as if unsure how to proceed. Then, it flew into the wall and pinned X there. "It should be a treat to watch your friend die," Bit and Byte said. X's eyes widened._

_"NO!" He screamed, tearing desperately at the hand that held him against the wall. "Drake, __RUN__!" Ignoring his cries, Drake fired a grenade at the enemy. Bit slashed it in half with the beam sword and charged through the smoke. Drake tried to jump through the monster's blind spot, where its other arm was supposed to be. It reared up, slashing him with one of its front claws. He was knocked into the ground, a jagged cut washing his face in blood._

_He tried to get up, but the Godkarmachine bashed him with the hilt of its sword and sent him sprawling again. He was just toying with him. X fired his buster at the beast, but he had a bad angle and most of the shots missed. "Enough," Bit and Byte growled, and they slashed down with their beam sword at the prone hunter. The single blow cut straight through his chest, sending up a burst of blood and electricity. The energy sword had cleaved his reactor in half._

_Now, the Anubis-headed mechaniloid turned to X, its front half awash with Drake's blood. X tried to scream, but found that he had lost his voice. Every fiber of his being was filling with rage, and he grabbed the hand around his waist. X crushed the appendage like a tin can, and Marx was startled to find his vision growing red. X dropped to the ground, holding the massive arm in his hand. Bit's face twisted into a snarl, and they galloped at him. X waited as they approached, then threw the arm with all his considerable might. _

_It smashed the Godkarmachine in the chest, and it was thrown backward. X wasted no time, and jumped onto its back, wrapping his normal arm around Bit's neck and charging his buster arm. Bit stabbed backward with the sword, but X saw every move before it happened. With his buster fully charged, he pressed it against the beast's torso and let loose. Bit roared as he was separated from Byte, and was flung into the trash heap beyond._

_Byte, headless, bucked and thrashed as it tried to dislodge X from its back. The Maverick Hunter shoved his buster into the hole that Bit's torso had been attached to, and fired a continuous stream of energy. Byte thrashed once more as its insides lit up, then keeled over on its side. X now strode calmly to Bit's torso, clambering desperately to escape the hunter with murder in his eyes._

_X's foot crashed down on Bit, and he was pinned to the ground. He stabbed in futility at the Maverick Hunter, but then X's hand descended and tore Bit's chest open. With his other hand, he grabbed the ovoid reactor core inside and ripped it out with savage ferocity. As soon as Bit stopped twitching, X dropped the reactor and his vision returned to normal. Immediately, he ran to the fallen hunter a few feet away._

_Drake was utterly still. Any life he had had, it bled out during the fight. "...Drake?" X said tentatively, not wanting to believe what he saw. His vision suddenly started to blur, and Marx realized that they were tears. "Wait. Don't die yet..." He felt for any sign of life, though his reactor was clearly sliced apart. His breathing became short, mortified rasps as cold reality set in. He stood and tapped his comm. link._

_"D-Dr. Cain..." He spoke, choking back sobs._

"What is it, X?" _Dr. Cain's worried voice came through._

_"Drake...He's dead." X's voice sounded hollow. On the other side, all was silent. After what felt like eons, X said, "Dr. Cain?" No response. X felt too heart-heavy to try again. "No..." he whispered. "You had something to tell Calliope..." He reached out and shook the dead hunter. "Why won't you speak? Heroes are...at least supposed to say something before they die..."_

_X stood up, wiping away the tears collecting in his eyes. "Dr. Cain, I'm going to bury him here."_

"...no..."_ was the weak reply._

_"Why not? He deserves a proper burial."_

"...don't think you're the only one who cared about him,"_ Cain said. _"I want to see my son again."

_"I understand...I'll come back for him when this is over..." The recording suddenly cut to a scene outside, on the parched ground surrounding Doppler's secret lab. X looked back at the collapsed ruins, then forward at the two gravestones fashioned from metal debris. One read 'Drake' and one read 'Doppler'. One was buried in body and one in spirit. X hoisted Drake's corpse over his shoulder, and called for an IT back to HQ._

**END RECORDING**

When Marx's vision faded back to normal, everyone was gone. At least, all the men. Nephtis remained at his side, resting against the wall with her eyes closed. "Playtime's over?" Marx queried. Nephtis nodded.

"It's almost time," she said shakily.

"What? You, nervous?" He gave her a lopsided grin. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"And you aren't?" she retorted.

"Never," he lied. Although, he had to admit, the recording he had just watched put a damper on his resolve. _X is right. At any time, one of us could become another Drake... _he thought. _Nothing like watching someone else die to remind you of your own mortality.

* * *

_

"...and he just pops out of _nowhere _and starts slicing people up!" Mystic cried, swinging her fork about for emphasis. X merely nodded, more interested in this woman's endless well of energy than the story she was telling. He became lost half-way through anyway, but he was fairly certain she was talking about the maverick that had attacked her, and later Cain Labs.

"So what did you do?" he asked.

"Well, I definitely didn't go up and ask him if he had any spare change. I ran like hell. What would you have done?" She said, and he tapped his buster arm in response. "...oh, right. Hey, that reminds me. What's it like to kill someone?" her question seemed innocent enough, but X thought he picked up a darker tone beneath it.

"It's not something I'd recommend trying," X said with a sigh. "Once you've killed someone...it does something to you. It numbs your brain, to the point where you don't really care anymore."

"About killing?"

"About anything," X nearly whispered. "Sorry. The past ninety-three years haven't been kind to me," he said apologetically. An awkward silence ensued as each picked at the remains of their meal. "So...what did you do before Stealth Claw chased you into that maverick attack?"

"I was a hooker," she said calmly. X very nearly choked on his glass of water.

"You don't look the type," he finally said.

"Of course; I'm a reploid. A lot of reploid women fool around for money. It's not really the same as being a human whore, at least it's not a full-time gig or anything," Mystic explained, reciting the cover story that Diamond Edge had fabricated for her. "If _you _had the chance to make some money and have a little fun at the same time, wouldn't you do it?" She realized that now it was Diamond talking, disguised with her voice.

"Sorry if it sounded like I was criticizing you, it's just...odd."

Mystic giggled and twirled her fork about in her hand. "We've already established how odd I am, haven't we?"

"Yeah..." X trailed off as his eyes caught sight of his watch. "Great. I was supposed to meet with the 17th half an hour ago..." He rose from his chair and threw on his jacket. "I'm sorry, but I've gotta get going. Can you get back by yourself?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Mystic replied, standing as well and smoothing out her crimson dress. X moved to activate his comm. link, but she held out a hand. "Hey, next time you don't need to apologize so much."

"There's gonna be a next time?" X said, surprised and hopeful.

"Why not?" She asked. X vanished in a flash of light before he could reply.

**End of chapter 27**

AN: Well, that's the last of the buildup. Next chapter, the fight's finally going to the mavericks. Stay tuned, I'm on a roll!

PS: Not really sure what overly used line you're talking about, windwing. I'll try to fit it in if you're more specific.


	29. Chapter 28: The Red Night

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Mission 5: Destroy Maverick Headquarters

Chapter 28: The Red Night

BGM: Van Halen – Source of Infection

By Genoscythe

**Commence Operation

* * *

**

For the first time in recent memory, Nephtis felt helpless. She had her gear, her staff, and her Ride Armor. Yet, something kept her from seeking out Alia. Was it fear? Nephtis thought she had forgotten fear long ago. However, this cold tremor wracking her body couldn't be anything else.

"Shit," she growled, slamming a metal foot down on the floor. "This isn't like me." After what felt like ages, she turned for the elevator and made for it like a woman possessed. "Now or never, girl. Now or never..." The elevator flew up the building, and spat her out at the command center. As she expected, it was packed with navigators yelling out commands and relaying information. At the center of it all, Signas stood like a man in the midst of a storm. His eyes were closed against the constant hammering of voices, and his mouth was twisted in grim determination.

It wasn't hard for Nephtis to find the navigator she was looking for. She was the only one that wasn't barking out orders, and the only one with a blank screen in front of her. Nephtis stepped up behind Alia, and tapped her on the shoulder. Through all the chaos, nobody noticed her.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Nephtis whispered. Alia turned slowly to look at her, with cold, blank eyes.

"Why?" She responded softly. Without answering, Nephtis grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the elevator. In moments, they were standing in the lobby.

"Okay, I need to get to Maverick HQ," Nephtis said simply. "You've got a link to the IT network, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what? Don't tell me you're believing the same shit that X is, are you?"

"I don't understand."

"Just because we aren't combat reploids doesn't mean we can't fight. I dunno about you, but I don't wanna just sit on my hands and wait for my boyfriend to get slaughtered." Saying the word 'my' and 'boyfriend' in conjunction felt odd to Nephtis, partly because she never imagined that she would love again after the Tempest incident.

"We aren't useless just because we're not designed for warfare," Alia countered half-heartedly. "_I _still have a job to do."

"What job? Sit in front of your computer and pretend that Megaman X doesn't exist?" Nephtis said, and Alia couldn't find a reply. "Look, if you don't feel like talking to him, then you can still help him. You _do _wanna help him, don't you?" Alia looked around, as if someone had just said something incredibly embarrassing.

"Look...if it's alright with you, I'd better get back to my post," Alia said, turning around and slipping away toward the elevator. Nephtis ran ahead and stopped her.

"You didn't let me answer," she said, trying to swallow the anger creeping into her voice. "No, it's not alright with me. Whether you're gonna help X or not, at least help me."

"Why?"

"Why not? Is it really so hard to just zap me over to the battleground?"

"You don't understand. You're not allowed there in the first place. If anyone found out that I..." Alia was suddenly silenced when Nephtis put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"People like you drive me insane," she hissed. "You're so afraid of sticking your neck out, so worried about deviating from the norm that you'll lock yourself away from the world. You'll choke off your own emotions to keep yourself out of the spotlight. All you really want to do is fit in, so you throw away anything that might make you-"

"No! That's not it at all," Alia interrupted.

"...it's not?" Nephtis said, blinking in surprise.

"No. I made a huge mistake. I blew up at X when I should've comforted him. I threw his apology, an apology that he didn't need to make, back in his face. Now, I don't know how I feel about him."

"Oh. Sorry," Nephtis said meekly. "Well...if you're not sure how you feel about him, then come with me."

"Are you crazy? I don't know about you, but _I'm _a non-combat reploid. I don't even have a weapon."

"All non-combat reploids are built with buster interface technology. Here." Nephtis pulled one of the many things she held in her hand out and handed it to Alia. It was a simple buster, the color of her armor.

"You really planned for this, didn't you?" Alia said in bewilderment.

"I'm not going in there alone," Nephtis replied. "Also, I want to help you and X."

Alia gave her a confused look, but didn't question it. Instead, she turned the buster over in her hands. "I don't really know how to use it..." She said tentatively.

"Stop making excuses. Just tell me now: are you in, or out?"

"...alright, fine. I don't care."

"That's a bad habit," Nephtis said, pulling forth the other thing in her arm. "Take this little guy with you." The thing turned out to be a blue metool, reinforced with silver armor and sporting a large green D on its helmet.

"What's this?" Alia said pleasantly, grabbing the met and cuddling it in her arms.

_"That's right. Hold me, baby!" _The mechaniloid said suddenly, and Nephtis's eyes narrowed.

"Damn it, Marx..." She muttered under her breath. To Alia, she said, "This is Darius, our metool. You can use him as a shield, or you can use the beam cannon I installed. The key word is turkey sandwich." As soon as she said this, Darius let out an affirmative beep and a gray cylinder slid out of the side of the small metool. The cylinder opened up and a barrel that was at least twice as long as the met was wide slid out. Blue energy crackled along its fork-shaped barrel, and Nephtis cast a worried glance at Alia. "Bean dip! Bean dip!" She cried, and Darius gave another beep. As fast as the cannon had powered up, it shut down and slid back inside its head.

"Turkey sandwich? Bean dip?"

"I was hungry when I put in the key words..." Nephtis muttered. "Besides, what are the chances that someone would say that on accident?"

"Okay...This still doesn't seem like enough," Alia said. "The Mavericks have more than just a buster and a metool to fight with."

"I know," Nephtis said with a toothy grin. "That's where the new Ride Armor comes in."

"...you're kidding."

"Hey, I _am _a mechanic. Here, come with me." Nephtis guided her across the lobby, or started to. The front doors suddenly slid open and a woman in a fiery red dress and pinned-up blonde hair stumbled inside. She immediately caught sight of Nephtis and Alia, and tried to run to them as quickly as high heels would allow.

"Excuse me!" She called, waving a slender arm about over her head. "I need to go to the Maverick HQ! Can one of you teleport me?" Nephtis shot her a confused glance.

"And, ah...who are you?"

"...me?" The woman said, putting a hand to her breast and seeming genuinely clueless.

"What division?" The dark-eyed girl specified, wondering who would actually be surprised by a question like 'who are you'.

"Oh. 17th," she replied smoothly, dispelling _some _of Nephtis's doubts.

"Well, tonight's your lucky night." Nephtis shot a glance at Alia, silently asking for her approval. "We're on our way there now. You might as well stick with us."

"Actually, I would..." She stopped herself in mid-sentence. "Sure. Three hunters are better than one, right?" Her enthusiasm was snuffed out by the harsh glare from Nephtis and the far-off gaze of Alia, who probably wouldn't be paying attention if she were wearing a sombrero. "My name's Mystic."

"Nephtis," the golden-skinned woman said in reply. She elbowed Alia, but didn't get a response. "This is Alia," she said with a sigh.

"What? Oh, right," Alia said, looking about as if she had just woken up on Pluto.

"Glad you could join us..." Nephtis muttered. To Mystic, she said, "Get your combat armor, and meet us in the parking garage, bottom level."

"Oh, I don't need any," Mystic said, her head bobbing slightly. Nephtis looked her up and down, from the high heels up the flimsy dress to the immaculately - pinned hair. She opened her mouth to refuse her, but stopped. That was exactly the kind of thing X would say. And, one of Nephtis's few rules of thumb was to never judge a book by its cover. She had learned so the hard way.

"It's your funeral, not mine," she concluded, leading the way to the parking garage, and eventually the ride armor at the bottom floor. It was, just like Nephtis's combat suit, gaudy and stylish while retaining its usefulness. A bronze plate of armor covered the body, which extended out the back and formed a small pair of wings. Both of its shoulders were thick and ovoid. On one rested a long artillery cannon, and on the other a rack of missiles was attached via an extendable arm. Its legs were shaped roughly like a reploid's; wide and curved, with thick feet beneath the bronze shell. One arm was essentially an oversized rail gun, and the other ended with three wicked claws. All along the bronze plating, what looked like a feather pattern was etched within.

"Ladies..." Nephtis stepped forward and laid a hand on the Ride Armor's rail gun. "Meet the Monarch. I'll be piloting, unless either of you have more experience." Alia slowly raised a hand.

"I...studied a basic training program."

"Good enough. Get in." Nephtis watched as Alia climbed up one of the bulky arms and slid down into the cockpit. The dark-eyed girl looked to Mystic. "We'll be riding on the arms for now." Both she and Mystic grabbed hold of an arm and clutched it tightly. Nephtis then turned her attention back to Alia, who was familiarizing herself with the controls. "Now, if we could get this Girl Scout outing underway...?"

"Right," Alia said absent-mindedly. She tapped her helmet, and within one horribly long minute the ride armor and its three passengers were nothing more than fading particles of light.

* * *

--- 

Back at the mall riot, Marx had found out that he hated killing fellow reploids. Now, in the middle of a full-scale war, he found out that he hadn't changed much. A maverick broke through the line of 14th hunters, running straight at him with a beam saber drawn. Marx fired a round of buckshot at the reploid; his favorite mode of the assault rifle by and far. To his dismay, the maverick rolled out of the way easily and jumped into the air. Marx was prepared to shoot again, but the maverick was suddenly caught by a large missile. He looked back, and one of the 8th hunters waved to him from the cockpit of a Ballista Ride Armor.

"All hunters, prepare for another salvo!" Hammer, leader of the 8th Armored Division, called on the universal comm. channel. The line of Ballistae behind Marx all crouched into a firing position, their drum-like arms lowered and missile launchers primed. All hunters near the massive door of the Maverick HQ tried their best to move out of the way, but not all of them made it before a hail of ordinance blossomed into flame against the side of the squat building ahead. The heavy doors were crumpling like tin foil against the repeated onslaught of the hunters' firepower.

All around the T-shaped base, similar battles were being fought. Missiles flew, reploids burned, and the former industrial building's walls began to come apart at the seams. Everything was going perfectly as Megaman X watched from his vantage point on top of the base. On his internal monitors, the Maverick Hunter death toll was almost amusingly low. However, X knew there was nothing amusing about war. He wished that none of them had to die.

Zero, however, was having a ball. He chuckled every time a maverick went up in flames, and occasionally snatched at a fleeing enemy with his new weapon (and subsequently waited out X's reprimand). "Don't tell me you feel sorry for 'em," Zero said after one such reprimand.

"I'm just making sure you follow orders," X replied. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."

"And why the hell not?" Zero asked, wiping blood and energy fluid off of the P Killer. "I still don't get Signas's plan."

"Once the doors are blown and most of the mavericks are outside, we need to sneak in and take out Sigma before he can endanger the rest of the hunters."

"So? We can still help out down there."

"It'll be a lot harder to sneak into the base when you're waist-deep in mavericks. I agree with Signas on this one."

"Oh, come on. We'd kill 'em all before they knock the doors down."

"Be realistic, Zero." X said sharply. Suddenly, the crimson hunter began eyeing the ventilation grill that they had planned on entering through.

"I'd rather not," he said with his patented roguish grin, kicking through the grill and jumping down the shaft and into darkness. X stared into the black pit for a moment, debating whether or not he should follow. Deciding that someone had to be there to pull Zero's ass out of the fire, X activated the wall climbing program and crawled down into the base.

On yet another side of Maverick HQ, a trio of reploids sat behind the lines of Ride Armors, preparing for their own assault.

"I snagged some copy data when we got here. You?" Axl said, directing his question at Selene.

"My disguise is ready, yeah." She nodded, and looked at Endymion. The reploid was staring off into the distance, as another salvo of missiles were launched. She just assumed that he was prepared, as always. "Now or never, Axl..." Her voice wavering, she squeezed his hand and gave him a quick kiss. "That was for luck. When we get out, I'll have a better one waiting for you." He nodded, his grip on her hand tightening.

"Are we ready?" Endymion asked, a hint of annoyance coloring his otherwise monochrome voice. Selene looked at Axl once more, then replied.

"Yeah." She closed her eyes, and the thick armor surrounding her body shimmered. In no time, it was thin and purple, her hair was long and blonde, and her eyes glowed with the familiar maverick infection. Axl did the same, activating his copy chip and becoming an exact replica of a maverick that he had shot earlier. Endymion vanished, swallowed up by his surroundings.

"Everyone, remember to mark us on your IFF monitor," Axl said on the universal comm. channel. A series of affirmative grunts, some cries of pain, and a "Hi Axl!" from Malakai followed. The three reploids stepped forward, weaving between the row of green Ballistae and then a row of blue Vanguards. Just as the last salvo of missiles was rocketing toward the base, Axl and Selene stepped forth in their new disguises, with Endymion hovering close by.

The large doors were blown inward, crashing to the ground and skidding along the wide, dark corridor. Everything was deathly still for a moment, as all the mavericks outside had been wiped out and it appeared that no more wished to join them. Then, suddenly, a solid line of crimson eyes appeared, marching through the darkness. There were too many mavericks to count. Axl leaned over to Selene and whispered, "I think I need another good luck kiss."

Selene was fighting to keep the panic out of her voice. Fighting, and losing. "I think I do too."

Zero fell through darkness, and he landed in darkness. At least, for a moment. Then, the doors were blown apart, sending shards of thick metal flying at him and tongues of flame reaching toward him. He cursed and shredded a piece of debris with the P Killer as it zoomed for his head. He looked down the corridor to find that no mavericks were on their way, then looked back at the group of Maverick Hunters standing outside. He flung out his arms and opened the main comm. channel. "Way to go, guys," he said dryly. "You almost took my freakin' head off."

"Commander, you're not supposed to..." An exceedingly brave Maverick Hunter spoke up. However, Zero cut him off.

"Slight change of plan. X can deal with Sigma himself."

"What happened?" The same hunter asked.

"I got bored," Zero said truthfully, grinning even though he knew they couldn't see him. With a confidant twist, he turned around and looked down the corridor for any sign of the enemy. Fate, it seemed, decided to grant him his wish. However, as Zero had been expecting maybe five or ten mavericks, he found something nearing three hundred instead. All of them had their murderous stares fixed on the crimson hunter. At Zero's side, the P Killer hummed to life. "Bring it, bitches," he growled.

As Zero was facing down three hundred mavericks, Marx was running from three. His side of the base was faring badly, and mavericks were still rampant outside. He dodged another energy bullet, and fired his rifle over his shoulder. The other hunters had their hands tied by now; he was on his own for this one. A bullet impacted with his bulky leg armor, and he stumbled. This he managed to turn into a roll, which he used to get a shot off at the pursuing mavericks. Explosive tipped rounds burst open a head, and one of the mavericks dropped in a gout of blood and scrap metal.

Marx was on his feet again, albeit limping. Only one of the remaining mavericks had a long-range weapon. _Lucky me, _he thought bitterly as he fired behind him blindly. He was rewarded with a cry of pain, and he chanced a look back. The shooter's arm had been hit, but he was reaching for the dropped gun with his remaining hand. Marx decided it was time to stop being a wimp and face them. He skidded to a halt and whirled around, automatic rifle blazing. His shots drew a ragged line across the shooter's torso, and he crumpled to the ground. The one with the beam saber, however, had disappeared.

Remembering his first encounter with Axl, Marx looked up just in time to see the maverick flying at him with his saber arcing downward like a glowing fang. Marx rolled out of the way, switched to shotgun mode, and just before the maverick touched ground, he blew the reploid a good five feet away. Looking back at the three mavericks he had dispatched, Marx whistled. _Pretty damn good, if I say so myself, _he thought, the energy rush drowning out the feeling of guilt he harbored.

Back inside the base, Zero was ripping through mavericks like tissue. In one hand, his saber was swinging in wide arcs and keeping the enemy reploids at bay. In the other hand, the pinwheel of doom cut down anything that made it through his saber. All things considering, he should have been dead. However, the swarm of mavericks seemed to be ignoring him for the most part. They flooded the hallway around him, as if he were a rock jutting out of a waterfall.

Something landed next to him, and if it weren't for Zero's advanced sensory perception, he wouldn't have noticed it. He turned, ready to slash apart another maverick. What he found was Megaman X, his armor a deep purple. He raised his buster and fired, but instead of a normal buster shot, an invisible shockwave leapt out of the weapon and blew an entire row of mavericks back down the hall. _Weapon data from that spider thing, _Zero realized.

"I absolutely _love _that color on you," he said in his best homosexual imitation.

"That joke stopped being funny during the Doppler Rebellion," X grunted, thinking back to all the times he had been forced to use purple armor. He fired again, sweeping away reploids by the dozens. "We don't have time for this."

"Agreed," Zero nodded, and he ran forward, planting his foot on a maverick's head. He rocketed into the air, using his unique double jump and landing on the other side of the maverick force. He looked back, and saw X running along the wall. When he landed next to Zero, they found themselves at a T junction. On their left, a passage led deeper into the base. On the right, a door led to who-knows-where, and straight ahead they could see another battle being fought outside. Zero thought he saw Marx for a split second, but blue was a popular color for reploids so he couldn't be sure.

"So...I guess this means we go deeper down the rabbit hole?" He pointed down the passage to their left. X nodded, and they both fired their thrusters. In no time, the hallway became a dead end.

"That was...short lived," X commented, looking around them. Almost immediately, he realized that they were standing on an elevator. "Wait," he walked over to a control panel and hit the 'down' button. The floor jerked to life, and Zero looked about in confusion. The elevator crawled downward at an agonizing pace, and both hunters were becoming impatient.

"Just like old times, huh?" Zero said, his voice leaking boredom.

"Yeah, but this time it'll be different," X replied, clenching a fist. "I'm not gonna let Sigma keep running. It ends here and now."

"Funny how often we say that."

"I'm serious."

"Funny how often you say that."

The elevator crashed to a halt at the foot of a large storage chamber. The two Maverick Hunters walked forward. The dusky room was empty. At least, they thought it was. Out of the corner of Zero's eye, a dark shadow flitted off into a room to the left. "Hold on, X." Zero pointed to the room where he had seen the form. "Keep looking for Sigma. I've got this one." He ran down a ramp and across the crate-occupied floor. He paused for the briefest moment at the door. No sound came from inside. Zero kicked the door open and rushed inside, his P Killer and Z saber bathing the small room in an ethereal glow.

He was in a control room, probably for a crane or something. The room was empty, and there were no other doors.

"Ooh," a husky voice purred from behind. "It's you again." Zero felt warm, smooth hands wrap around the back of his neck and caress his cheeks. The voice and movements were almost mesmerizing, but Zero's combat instincts told him something was very wrong with this. He whipped around and knocked the slender, white hands away. In the glow of his saber, Zero could see the same pale woman from Maverick Hunter HQ, a vile grin on her elegant face.

"Not this time," Zero growled. "I'm not falling for it this time."

"You could have fooled me," she said, her voice as harmless as a poison arrow frog. Her hands reached up to her breasts. "Can you really destroy a piece of art like this?"

"Normally I wouldn't even think about it," he said, trying to keep her talking so he could look at her a bit longer. "But I make an exception for chicks with blades under their skin."

"Don't mind those," she said, her hands sliding down her sides and around her thighs. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"I'm sure..." Zero's eyes were having a field day. "Is that why you chopped up all those hunters?"

She clasped her hands together. "That was a long time ago."

"It was two weeks ago."

"Long enough. I want out of all this." She took a tentative step forward. Zero was astonished to find himself believing her, even while the common sense portion of his mind screamed "Bullshit!"

"Well, lady, if you're looking for a way out, you've come to the wrong guy," he said hesitantly. He _really _didn't want to hurt this woman. She took two more steps forward.

"My name's Diamond Edge, and I don't think you're a bad person, Zero. I know you'll help me," she purred as she brushed up against him. "I'll even reward you in advance." With this, her fingers slid up to her shoulders and teased the straps of her dress down to her elbows. Zero was helpless. She gently slipped her ice-colored dress down to the floor and cupped his face in her hands, directing his attention back up to her head. She leaned in and kissed him, mouth open and tongue probing. Zero's mind was essentially shut off.

The heated moment suddenly came crashing down as a sickening crunch emanated from Zero's chest. He broke off the kiss and looked down between her breasts at the silver blade protruding from her abdomen. It was firmly lodged in his. As the numb feeling subsided completely, the wave of pain hit him and he fell back.

Yeah, he had fallen for it this time. Diamond Edge laughed as his vision faded to black.

* * *

The night was red as Nephtis looked out across the ashen wasteland. Explosions bloomed all around the Maverick HQ, and cast their wicked glow into the sky. Overhead, an aerial command center eclipsed the moon, transferring the messages sent by HQ off to the distant battleground. "Alia?" Nephtis said tentatively. "Let's go." 

"Roger," Alia replied as she hit the thrusters. The wings on the back of the Monarch flared to life, and they practically soared across the landscape.

"What's the plan?" Mystic yelled over the roar of the boosters.

"We don't really have one," Nephtis replied. "I'm looking for my boyfriend, Alia's looking for her soon-to-be boyfriend, and I figured you would just rejoin the 17th."

"I'd rather stick with you, if that's alright," she said, crying out as the Monarch's leg hit a rock.

"Doesn't matter to me." Alia cut out the thrusters, and they sank back to solid ground. Maverick HQ loomed directly in front of them, and it looked as if there was no fighting on this end. A wide hangar door stood before them, but it was thin and relatively small; barely big enough to fit two Ride Armors through. Alia lowered the shoulder cannon and aimed at the center of the door. The Monarch rocked back, and the door was punched open with a force that shook the ground.

Mystic gave Nephtis a 'are you crazy?' look as she hung from the edge of the machine's arm. Nephtis, her hair flailing about in the wind, replied with, "I guess it needs some tweaking."

"You've never tested this thing?" Mystic said, climbing back on top of the arm.

"Not _exactly_..." she said sheepishly. Silently, Alia began walking forward, knocking away what was left of the door and stepping inside the room. It was full of mavericks. A massive transport vehicle sat in the midst of the room that was obviously not meant to accommodate it, and mavericks were loading various pieces of equipment onto it. Immediately, both Nephtis and Mystic found who they were looking for. Tempest sat atop the vehicle, staring in surprise at the trio that had just busted down the door. At his side, Stealth Claw was crouched into a pouncing stance. However, he froze when he saw what was clinging to the unusual Ride Armor. Tempest did likewise, though his attention was directed at a different reploid.

Whether it was because she was wearing her brother's armor, or because he feared what kind of strength her anger might lend her, he turned around and leapt off of the transport, disappearing behind the hulking gray vehicle. Stealth Claw remained frozen, unsure of what to do. Alia, oblivious to her partners' revelations, opened fire on the mavericks in the room. The cannon fired the left, the missile launcher to the right. Within moments, all mavericks were dead or dying. Except Stealth Claw, who had activated his camouflage and clung to the ceiling for dear life.

Now, with all the other mavericks dead, he dropped to the floor and deactivated his cloaking shield. He looked at them sadly for a moment, then jerked forward. Alia had her hand on the trigger of the rail gun, but Mystic leapt at the cockpit and pulled her hand away. "Don't shoot!" She yelled, and Alia looked at her like she was mad. The prettier of the two blonde reploids slid down off the arm and walked up to Stealth Claw. Both Alia and Nephtis stiffened.

"This one wants to defect!" She cried, with Claw still convulsing on the ground. She wasn't sure why he was doing that, but she hoped it was just a hairball.

"Are you crazy?" Nephtis interjected. Mystic looked down at Claw and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore. He just wants to live peacefully," she bent down and looked him in the eyes. "Don't you?" She whispered to him, with an underlying tone of 'just play along'. However, she jumped back in surprise. His eyes were glowing red. _Oh no... _she silently moaned. _Not now. God, not now. _His spasms subsided, and he looked up at the Maverick Hunters with hatred contorting his face.

"The virus!" Nephtis hissed, and Alia's hand flung to the rail gun's controls.

"No!" Mystic screamed as Alia pulled the trigger. Electricity crackled along the four-pronged barrel, and a slug shot out too fast for the eye to follow. It buried into the ground, leaving behind a blue trail. Stealth Claw was no longer there. He appeared in front of Alia, slamming his claws into the machine's chest plate. Sparks burst forth, but his blades failed to pierce the thick armor. Nephtis jabbed with her staff, but he caught the shaft between his claws and twisted, throwing her off the Ride Armor.

Alia had taken the momentary distraction to fire her buster. The energy bullet caught Stealth Claw in the head, and he fell off the armor. He stood and leapt again at Alia, but this time Mystic tackled him. "Go ahead! Get out of here!" She yelled as he struggled against her. She noticed with satisfaction that even when the virus was in control, he wasn't trying to attack her. Nephtis nodded, and she climbed back on the Ride Armor. Alia, however, wasn't buying it.

"He's a maverick! We can't just leave you here!" She cried. Just then, Stealth Claw broke her grasp and scrambled to his feet. Mystic sent a high-heeled kick to the back of his head, and he was knocked to the ground again.

"Hurry!"

"Alia," Nephtis began, making her way to the top of the armor so that she was perched over the navigator. "Have a little faith. If she says to leave," she slipped down into the cockpit next to Alia and took hold of the movement controls. "We'd better leave." The Ride Armor jerked forward, and began running across the room and toward the door that Tempest had presumably fled through. Mystic jumped on Stealth Claw when he tried to follow them, and she kept him pinned down.

"Snap out of it," she pleaded as he scraped at the ground. "Come on." He growled in reply. "Don't you growl at me, mister!" She slapped him across the face, and he seemed to subside a bit. "Stupid kitty," she moaned, squeezing him tighter. "You stupid, stupid kitty..."

"Mystic?" He said suddenly. She held her breath.

"...you're back?" She asked tentatively. He flipped around and wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm back," he reaffirmed. "See what I mean? The virus can't control me for long."

"Thank god for that," she said, nuzzling her head under his chin. Now came the hard part. "Love, I failed."

"How?"

"...I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm dating Megaman X instead of Zero."

"...why?" He said, afraid to ask.

"I don't know. I just saw him, and he looked so..." she trailed off when she saw the pained look on his feline face. "I've done something horrible," she murmured. "I failed the mission, I was unfaithful to you, and now I'm in love with a Maverick Hunter. All at once..." Tears sprung to her eyes. Stealth Claw let go of her.

"I guess it's for the best," he said bitterly as he got to his feet. "He can love you better than this body ever could."

"What? No!" Mystic got to her feet as well and rushed to his side. "Maybe he has looks, but you've got personality...err, cat-ality..." He made a motion like he was trying to pull something out of his chest.

"You're twisting the knife, babe." She giggled despite the situation.

"See what I mean? I love you. I may _like_ X, but I _love_ you. No matter what happens with the hunters, I'll still be with you in the end."

"I know..." Stealth Claw began, putting on a serious face once more. "But I was okay with this because I knew you didn't actually care about Zero. It just hurts that you went to X on your own."

"And I'm sorry. Really, I am. But now I'm stuck. Zero's mad at us, and I don't know if I can still get close to him. It's even worse now, since whenever I'll be with Zero X'll be nearby. I can't take on both of them."

Stealth Claw abruptly began to laugh. "It's simple. Dump X, and go with Zero. Or don't go with anybody. Just find out where Zero lives and kill him there."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"It'd save me a lotta emotional trauma, yeah."

"...ok. I'll figure something out," she concluded. "You stay safe. I won't let you die now after I made that beautiful apology and everything."

"Don't worry. I've got orders from Sigma to prep for our trip to Elysium."

"Our trip? You're going, too?"

"Either that, or die here," he said, his words punctuated by a distant explosion. "I dunno what's over there, but I promise I'll see you again."

"You'd better," she warned, standing on her toes and kissing his forehead. "I'll see you there." With that said, she activated the recall program in her head and disappeared in a flash of light.

**End of Chapter 28**

AN: 100 reviews! You're all awesome. In case you can't figure it out, the --- is where the BGM starts. it was originally three number signs, but this damn thing won't show those. Not much else to say, so I'll just get started on the next chapter.


	30. Chapter 29: Check

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Mission 5: Destroy Maverick Headquarters

Chapter 29: Check...

BGM: Disturbed – Down with the Sickness

By Genoscythe

X bolted through the storage chamber, passing through a wide door and into a hallway lined with windows. He could feel Sigma nearby; the synthetic hairs standing on the back of his neck were testament enough to that. However, he didn't know how close he was until he heard the voice.

"How are things above?" The guttural voice belonging to Sigma filtered in through one of the windows to X's left. He ran to the portal and looked through. Another storage room, like the one he had just departed, was visible inside. In the middle of it stood three forms, one large, one unnaturally thin, and one with a long cannon on its back.

"I dunno. I was helping Claw pack for the trip," an unknown voice said, strong and youthful. "I _do _know that some hunters broke into the rear hangar. _She _was with them."

"Who?"

"The Egyptian girl. Diamond's sister."

"You're afraid of a girl?"

"...she was wearing Osiris's armor."

"I see. Well, if you really want, you can help gather our forces. We leave for Doppler Airport in an hour, no matter how prepared we are." The form with the cannon suddenly doubled over. "...Havoc?" X gasped. During the First and Second Maverick Uprisings, the commander of the 8th Armored Division had been a tank-like reploid named Havoc. He had disappeared near the end of the second uprising. _Is it possible...? Is he still alive?_

"DAMN IT, GET OUT!" The reploid screamed suddenly, and X held no more doubts. That was Havoc's voice. He was still alive. "THIS IS MY BODY!" Silence ensued as the thickly-armored reploid thrashed on his knees. Suddenly, the violent motions ceased.

"Forgive me," Havoc gasped. His voice had somehow changed; it came out more cold and calculating. "He is becoming...difficult."

"Then you will have to go with Tempest," Sigma said. "I won't let him take control when you're behind my back."

"...of course," Havoc replied with a measure of difficulty.

"Let's go, psycho." The tall, slender form known as Tempest jerked a hand toward the nearby door, and Havoc swayed to his feet. "What about you?"

Sigma's form sagged a bit. "I need to settle things with Megaman X. He's nearby."

"Suit yourself. I'm gonna go stay alive. See ya later," Tempest said nonchalantly, his form seeming to float toward the nearby door. Havoc stepped shakily after him. After both were out of sight, Sigma turned around and began lumbering toward the opposite door. X knew what he had to do. He ran along the windowed corridor until he passed into the next room. He leapt through the nearest window, landed on a box, and rolled off into the center of the storage room. At any moment, Sigma would be walking casually through the door before him...

---

At first, he was a silhouette backed by a halo of light. Then, as he moved forward and into the monochrome haze of the storage chamber, X could make out his features for the first time. The first thing that came to his attention were the massive arms. Sigma's arms were each as thick around as his body, and almost as tall. They extended up past his head in razor-sharp points, bypassing elbows completely and merely attached to the body halfway by normal arms. The most prominent feature of Sigma's new appendages were the three claws dangling from each. They scraped the floor as he strode calmly forward. His yellow body armor had been thickened, but not nearly to the degree of his arms. Resting on his head like a crown, a triple-pronged helmet rose into the air like demonic horns.

X clenched his fists. "I only need to know one thing. How do you know about Elysium?"

Sigma laughed his madman's laugh. "I thought we were beyond words, my friend."

"Stop changing the subject. I promise I'll kill you when we're done talking."

"Yes, yes, I know. Fine. I was first told of the promised land in a dream, by a strange man named Juno." _They're using dreams on him, too... _X thought. "He showed me a way to return the planet to what it once was. You know, don't you?"

"The Carbon Reinitialization Program," he answered.

"Correct! The cause of all your problems, and the solution to all of mine. They need my help to bring the Master into submission."

"...you know where it is?"

"Of course. We'll be on our way within the hour," Sigma said with a crooked smile, seeming to know why he had asked. _Damn! Am I the only one who doesn't know! _X thought bitterly. "Now, if you don't mind..." Sigma raked one long claw against a metal crate. "I'd like to be on my way." Suddenly, his hand plunged into the crate and swung it forward with blinding speed. The projectile caught X with his hands out, and he flipped over it using the wall climbing program as leverage. He landed on top of the crate as it crashed into a stack of boxes. He barely had time to dodge as Sigma flew at him, smashing one huge arm into the boxes and scattering them across the storage room. Something X failed to notice at first were the boosters lining Sigma's back and legs.

He was outweighed, outclassed, and outmaneuvered. This wasn't the pushover he had destroyed in the past. X swore an oath he had learned from Zero, but now it merely seemed like a waste of breath. Sigma was upon him again, slamming his fist into the ground as X rolled away. However, he had anticipated the move this time, and made a horizontal swipe with his other arm that caught X in the chest. The Maverick Hunter skidded across the floor on a bed of sparks and scraped metal. He got up shakily; his chest plate digging into him. It was dented inward, and flecks of dull gray dotted his armor where paint had been scraped off.

_That was only one hit! _X groaned as he clutched his chest. Sigma walked calmly through the rows of boxes, that patented wicked grin stretched across his face. "This is pitiful, X. What would humanity think of you now?" He said deviously, his stride painfully slow. Sigma was biding his time, because he knew that X knew that he was unstoppable.

"For someone who claims to be Earth's savior, you seem to enjoy other people's fear way too much."

Sigma's gait slowed even more. "Of course. Fear is the most interesting emotion in the spectrum, by far. It's one of the two unnecessary emotions that the humans gave to us, along with love. However, unlike love, fear can motivate the human body to do incredible things. What about us reploids? Nothing. Fear is simply a distraction. Our bodies are mechanical, they don't react to the need for self-preservation that the human body does. That's not to say we don't try, oh no. Our systems become saturated with fuel, much like a human's adrenaline rush. We either think more acutely, or more hastily. But all of these things pale in comparison to what a human can do when presented with a life-or-death situation."

"Are you done...yet?" X grunted painfully.

"No, but I'd imagine this isn't very interesting for someone with your narrow vision." Sigma flexed one of his claws. "Ready?" When X failed to answer, he flew forward with murder in his eyes. X dropped to the ground as his charged shot finished loading. Sigma flew over him, and X raised his buster against Sigma's chest. A thunderous crack echoed throughout the room and Sigma was sent flying backward, trailing smoke and energy residue. His massive form collided with a stack of boxes, which sank and collapsed under his weight.

X grinned when he heard Sigma groan from across the room. However, the groan slowly transformed into a pitying laugh. The maverick leader pulled himself out of the collapsed boxes, looking no worse for wear than he had at the beginning of the battle.

"That was it? That was the best you could do?"

* * *

Diamond Edge stood for a moment, drinking in the ecstasy of her victory. She had defeated the deadliest Maverick Hunter in existence without even garnering a scratch. The naked woman laughed quietly to herself as she stepped over Zero's body and picked up her discarded dress. As she slipped it back on, she wondered what it was that made her feel so alive. It wasn't the feeling of sensuality; that had gotten boring ages ago. No, it was the domination that came from said sensuality. He had been utterly in her control, and the mere thought of it thrilled her. Her body proved to be a far more effective weapon than any of the blades she could produce, and that little bit of irony sent a shiver across her luminescent skin.

Without looking back, Diamond Edge grabbed hold of the doorframe and spun out into the storage room. She was low on time; she had to get to the transport. So absorbed was she that Diamond Edge didn't notice the crimson form slowly push itself to its feet in the room she had just vacated.

* * *

Marx rolled, firing blindly into inky darkness. It was just his luck that he would be chased into a dead end. He fired again, and though the shots were wide, the flashes of light jumping from his muzzle illuminated the enemy. It was a standard-issue reploid, a Class 3 like himself, and it was wielding a large beam saber. _What is it with mavericks and beam sabers? _He mused as his shoulder cannons launched into action, blowing the maverick several feet down the corridor. Marx turned about to take in his surroundings, switching on night vision as he did so.

Immediately, he realized that he was standing on a large cargo elevator. With a shrug to nobody in particular, Marx pressed the down button, and the elevator lurched. His mechanical heart raced for a moment, but the moment passed as the elevator steadied itself and began its slow descent. An agonizing time later, he found himself standing before a large room full of boxes. He slowly stepped off the elevator, scanning for any signs of activity. Marx was both relieved and disappointed to find that the room was empty.

This didn't last long, for then a pair of doors to the right slid open and a reploid stepped out. At this same instant, the elevator behind him started to crawl upward once more. Marx decided too late that he desperately wanted to go with it. He recognized this reploid as Tempest, judging from Nephtis's tale (and he was a pretty unmistakable reploid). Also, judging from Nephtis's tale, Marx was doomed. Tempest took notice of him just as he was attempting to grab the edge of the retreating elevator, and he froze.

"Megaman X?" Tempest called out uncertainly, his strong, youthful voice belying the hideous body it came from. "No...your armor's too dark..." In spite of it all, Marx wanted to laugh. _Megaman X?__ I wish! _"You got a name?"

"Marx," he said, his teeth ground together half out of fear and half out of annoyance.

"Marx!" Tempest boomed, striding confidently toward him. He tensed, but tried his best to hide it. "You look like you'll die nicely."

"So do you," Marx countered, the anger in his voice surprising even himself. Deep down, his hatred for this creature that ruined Nephtis's life overrode all the considerable cowardice in his system. Tempest froze for a split second, then burst into an echoing laugh.

"Well, well, well..." Tempest's tone was mocking as he resumed his intimidating walk across the room. "I never thought I'd hear that from a faceless Class 3." _Faceless?__ Who the hell does he think I am?_

"You're makin' a mistake," Marx said venomously, to the further shock of his subconscious. He wasn't simply talking back anymore, he was _provoking _a fight! On this train of thought, Marx realized that he never would have done something like that before he had fallen for Nephtis.

"Oh?" Tempest said between chuckles. He had now crossed half the distance between them. "What mistake do you think I'm making? I'm curious."

"There's something you don't know about me."

"Do tell."

Marx raised his old pistol dramatically and said, "I'm in love." As stupid as the words undoubtedly sounded, the method of delivery stopped Tempest in his tracks, hesitating for the briefest of moments. Marx's tone meant business, and he seemed filled with an air of confidence that Tempest was unaccustomed to dealing with. Nevertheless, this was just a Class 3 Replitech model. It would be easy.

Without sparing another moment, Tempest rocketed forward, and as expected, Marx fired. Therefore, Tempest's jump was angled slightly to the left. He hit a box, and sprung off of it, flying toward Marx at double speed. He raised his handgun in defense, and Tempest's katar blow plowed through the sleek pistol. However, the blade stopped before it reached Marx's head. With a contemptuous smirk, Tempest savagely flung his wrist to the right and the skewered handgun went flying out of Marx's grip. Following the momentum of the move, he whirled around completely and slashed clean through Marx's arm with his left katar.

With agrowl of pain, Marx kicked at his assailant. Tempest dodged gracefully to the side and leapt forward again, landing on Marx's chest and delivering a blow to his side. Gritting his teeth, Marx pulled out his shotgun with the only arm he had left. Tempest was long gone before he could even pull the trigger, but that was Marx's general plan. None of his major components had been destroyed yet (and he was starting to get used to losing limbs), but now his only chance lay with the elevator. To his dismay, it was still on the upper level; though he could hear it making its sluggish way down even now. It was close.

He tried to scramble to his feet, but Tempest had landed on his back and made all attempts moot. With terrifying force, his clawed hand descended on Marx's head and pulled him upward, bending his back and making his wound scream with pain. "Look at where love's brought you now," with this, he shoved Marx's head into the ground and stepped off his back.

"...What..." Marx muttered, trying to get to his feet.

"What? Why haven't I killed you yet?"

"...yeah," he groaned, sliding back down onto his chest.

"After we've made such progress? I'm offended. It's much more fun to let you live in sorrow and pain than to end it all now. What's the point?"

"Is that...is that why you let Nephtis live?" Marx growled, forcing himself to his feet again. If he had been facing his direction, he would have seen Tempest blink in surprise.

"Whoah. So _you're _the lucky man," he said, a mixture of shock and admiration coloring his voice. "No wonder you were so crazy about fighting me. And to answer your question, no. Although I would've. No, I wasn't allowed to have my way with her. But I'm sure this is old news to you, right?" Tempest goaded. With great difficulty, Marx rose to his feet. He heard Tempest gasp, and he allowed a grin to infect his face. However, he soon found that Tempest was gasping at something completely different.

"DOWN!" A harsh female voice rang out, and Marx instinctively ducked. Not a moment later, a blue streak flashed across the air above him and collided into Tempest's right arm. The appendage shattered; the force of the blow taking apart some of his right side as well. He flipped backward behind some boxes as Marx looked up at his savior, who had just arrived on the elevator. Sitting atop the most beautiful ride armor he'd ever seen was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her normally golden-hued face was now flushed crimson with rage. Marx was disappointed that she merely glanced over him before turning her attention back to her prey. Nephtis's passenger, however, looked grief-stricken when she saw him bleeding on the floor.

The blonde-haired woman leapt nimbly off the bronze Ride Armor and pulled him behind a crate as Nephtis let loose a salvo of missiles. She looked hurriedly over his chest wound and the remnants of his arm. "Oh god..." she murmured under her breath. "How much energy do you have left?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," Marx assured her, though the pain that had taken over his nervous sensors said otherwise.

"I can patch this up, but that's the best I can do," she reached into an emergency medpack that was standard on non-combat reploids, pulling out a roll of sealing tape. Gingerly, she pressed the silver tape against his side wound, and it gradually turned transparent to confirm that it sealed properly. She slowly, carefully reached out a hand and stroked his cheek. "You'll be fine. I'll make sure of it," she whispered, and Marx thought she was overreacting more than a little. However, the gentleness and air of kindness about her dispelled any negative thoughts he had; a stark contrast to the kind of treatment he was used to from women. As if to accentuate this point, Nephtis skidded ahead with all guns blazing, roaring above the wail of gunfire.

"...you're Alia, aren't you?" He spoke softly, remembering his first glimpse of her at the dock party.

"And you're Marx," she responded kindly. "You tried to help us out of the rubble when HQ was destroyed, remember?"

"Remember? You thought I forgot?" He said, and she giggled in reply.

"I hoped not." Alia's next words were drowned out by an explosion, and something landed hard on top of their crate. It was Nephtis, standing ready with her staff balanced on her shoulder. With a wince, Marx watched as a piece of the bronze Ride Armor crash into the ground next to them.

"That was it?" Tempest's mocking voice filled the room once more. "That was the best you could do?"

* * *

X crouched low under a pile of boxes, tensed and waiting for the inevitable. Sigma was scouring the room for him, as his stealth-oriented armor had allowed him to escape momentarily. However, after witnessing his new terrible power, he didn't think he would last long. He was right.

His cover exploded in a shower of metal and odd trinkets, and Sigma stood over him triumphantly. "Finally. Let's end this little cat-and-mouse game, eh?" He said, grinning. Before he could even raise an arm, something glowing and green flashed past his face. Sigma's head snapped to the right, where Zero stood clutching his chest. The P Killer's gauntlet was pointed at the infamous maverick leader.

"Maybe it's time you shut up and fight," Zero said, a bit of his reckless attitude coming through despite his grievous wound. "Always gotta act like you know everything, don't you, Sigma?" As opposed to being worried (as one normally would when facing the world's two most dangerous reploids simultaneously), Sigma's grin spread.

"This is hardly fair, Zero."

"Of all people, you've got no right to talk about fair. You think picking a fight with the humans is fair? You think mass-murdering civilians is fair?"

"Enough," Sigma cut him off. A strange sliding sound filled the air, followed by a click. Sigma's massive right arm seemed to expand for a moment, then crash loudly to the floor. Where there was once a huge, clawed arm, there was now a perfectly normal arm. The maverick leader flexed it for a moment, then raised it in the air and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the door on the floor below them slid open, and two bloody-eyed shadows emerged. The pair of mavericks leapt up to their floor, and both drew pistols.

"Now the teams are more even," Sigma said, seeming to restrain a cackle with great difficulty. He grabbed the discarded gauntlet on the floor and locked it back onto his arm, expecting the two mavericks behind him to attack. However, as X and Zero soon found out, these weren't mavericks. Their disguises shimmered and dissipated into nothing, and now Axl and Selene stood at Sigma's back with their pistols trained on him. Zero shot Axl a severe look, which Axl pretended to ignore.

"Hands up, Sigma!" He said courageously. "You've got nowhere to run now!" Finally, Sigma's resolve was shaking.

"Four against one? X, Zero, I'm ashamed of you."

"Five," a cold voice said plainly, and Endymion melted into existence behind Axl and Selene.

"Really, this is beneath you..."

* * *

Marx was now faced with one of the more difficult decisions that he could remember. On one hand, he desperately wanted to help his girlfriend fight the nasty bug-monster. On the other hand, he was afraid that, knowing his aim, he would be more of a danger to her than Tempest. Both reploids were entwined in a furious melee, but it was obvious that Tempest was made for killing and Nephtis was not. He was constantly gaining ground, striking repeatedly against the gilded neosteel staff that Nephtis spun haphazardly in defense. All her counterattacks met with thin air.

_That bastard's an arm short and he's still winning... _Marx realized grudgingly. With a start, he realized that he was holding his gun out, and his finger was trembling over the trigger. One well-placed shot and it would all be over. Unfortunately, Marx wasn't known for well-placed shots. Next to him, Alia was peeking her head over the top of their makeshift barricade, occasionally cheering softly when Nephtis gained any ground.

"My brother's life..." Nephtis began, swinging her staff in a surprisingly vicious arc and batting away Tempest's katar. "...was taken for no reason. You killed him just because you felt like it!" Her pretty face was twisted into a snarl, and plunged her staff through Tempest's side. The monstrous reploid took three steps forward, clutching the weapon's shaft and pulling himself closer to her. Her eyes widened considerably; she clearly wasn't expecting this. Marx decided to make his move, as Tempest wasn't going anywhere very fast. He flicked his rifle into semi-automatic and took careful aim.

Mere seconds before Marx was able to pull the trigger, Tempest planted his feet on Nephtis's chest and pushed off, back-flipping and wrenching the staff from her hands. Marx's shot grazed her cheek and sent tiny orbs of blood plummeting to the floor. Alia made sure to thwack him across the head, whispering "You're not helping!"

"You're close," Tempest began, crouching down and pulling the staff out of his side. "But not quite. There was a method to my madness, but I'm afraid I can't explain it now, or ever."

"Too bad. You're telling me now."

"Besides the fact that I was told not to, I think it's fun to know something you don't. I can see how frustrated you are in those adorable eyes of yours. Which, I see, you've changed. Weren't they red the last time we met?"

"Shut _up_!"

"They were even more beautiful then. You think Interpol won't find you just because you can fool their retinal scanners?"

Nephtis was crouched into a fighting position, ready for anything. "Just get on with it, you bastard..."

"Sticks and stones, baby." With that, Tempest hurled the staff at Nephtis. She caught it at a run, holding it ready as she charged at the insect-like reploid. He jumped back, but she grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground. She was on top of him in an instant, the energy blade hovering over his head.

"Listen, and listen carefully. Every time you fail to answer me, I'll cut off a limb. You've got three chances. Now...where is my sister?"

"What, torture now?" Moments later, he screamed. His only remaining arm was severed.

"Two more tries."

"Really, this is beneath you..."

* * *

All five Maverick Hunters attacked simultaneously, but every one of their attacks met with thin air. Sigma had rocketed back over the edge of the catwalk, landing on the floor below. Not even daring a word of mockery, Sigma dashed through a doorway and was gone. Both X and Zero were almost on their knees from their earlier wounds, and neither made a move to give pursuit.

"Shit..." Zero hissed. "If it weren't for that bitch, I'd have..."

"Don't worry about it," X murmured, looking now at the three newcomers. "You all did great."

"You sound a little too happy."

"That's because I know where Sigma's going."

* * *

"...she's on the transport to Elysium," Tempest said icily. "The transport that'll be leaving any moment. Which reminds me..." The bug-like reploid suddenly kicked out one leg, sending Nephtis tumbling across the floor. Tempest got to his feet and ran for the exit, yelling back, "I've got a bus to catch!" He was gone before she made it to her feet.

For several long moments, Nephtis stared in silence at the door that had locked behind him. Then, slowly, she sank to her knees and screamed out a curse that reverberated throughout the room. Marx was at her side in an instant, gripping her shoulder with his remaining arm. At his touch, she looked up as if she had seen him for the first time. Then, he was wrapped in a crushing hug that brought a fresh wave of pain from his recently-bandaged wounds.

"What would you do without me?" She asked softly.

"That's...my line..." Marx choked out. She loosed her arms around his neck a bit, and she noticed that his right arm had been cleaved off.

"_He _did this?"

"You know anybody else with a knife fetish?"

"Actually, I do..." Nephtis murmured, and Marx raised an eyebrow. She shook her head. "You're okay?"

"Never better."

"Good. I've gotta help Alia find X..." Nephtis trailed off as she looked around. Alia was nowhere to be seen. "Oh well. She can take care of herself. Ready to go?"

"What about the battle?"

"If you feel like going back up there, be my guest." At this, Marx was silent. In another instant, they were gone.

**Mission**** 5 status: Failed**

**Maverick Leader: Escaped**

**Main Objective: Failed**

**Secondary Objective: Failed**

**End of chapter 29**

AN: Sorry it took so long just to get out a mediocre chapter, but I need to get this one out of the way so I can start on the good stuff.


	31. Chapter 30: Mate

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Chapter 30: ...Mate

By Genoscythe

AN: Nice observation, Storm. We'll just have to see how things pan out...

By the way, you won't find out why Tempest did what he did in this story, but I'm planning a side story detailing Nephtis' life in the Byblos Empire. That'll explain it, as well as tie in a few loose ends.

* * *

"You had orders, Axl. What the hell are you doing down here?" Zero barked, pacing back and forth around the storage chamber. They could hear the battle above dying down.

"Geez, don't think you could be a _little _happier to see me after I just saved your lives?"

"You could've gotten killed! X and I are the only ones who can take on Sigma!"

"Since when?" Axl shot back. "You two sure didn't look like you could've beaten him." As Zero and Axl continued arguing, X felt something stir behind him. He glanced back to see Endymion at his shoulder.

"Did you see a gray feline-type maverick?" The silver hunter whispered. X shook his head in bewilderment. He _was _talking about the same maverick that broke into HQ, wasn't he? X was starting to become worried. First the scar, and now this. _It's not like Endy to hold a grudge..._

"X!" A soft cry echoed across the room, and all eyes turned toward the source. Alia was running down the platform, waving one hand and clutching a strange blue metool in the other. He was shocked enough to see her in the middle of a battlefield, but when she dropped the metool and wrapped him in a crushing hug, he thought he was dreaming. He was so surprised that he momentarily forgot he was dating Mystic, and gently returned the embrace. After a few moments of stunned silence, reality smacked him like a freight train. X let go and held her at arms length, looking her up and down for injuries.

"What are you doing here! There's a battle going on!" He said reproachfully, and her face somewhat darkened.

"I came to help you! Aren't you at least happy to see me?" Reality then came back for seconds.

"Alia...I need to tell you something."

"...what?" She asked softly, trying to move closer. X kept her at arms length.

"That girl Mystic...well, we went on a date tonight." Alia stopped trying to move closer.

"A date like...a _date _date, or like..." Alia struggled to think of another meaning for 'date'.

"Why are you mad? You're the one that tore up my apology," he reminded her. She took a few moments to choke back tears before speaking again.

"I did that because...if you really cared about me, you would've actually _talked _to me. I don't love you because of how romantic you are, or what you buy for me...I love you because I thought you cared enough to talk to me in person, not hide behind chocolates and flowers. That's something Zero would do."

"Thanks," Zero said dryly from the sidelines. X suddenly realized what he had done wrong. Now he just had to figure out how to proceed.

"Alia..." He stumbled over his words, not sure where he was going. Finally, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't know you felt like that..." He soon realized that he should have thought things through a little better.

"Of course! You _never _know how I feel!"

Zero suddenly cleared his throat so loud that it drowned out Alia's pained voice. "I'd just like to announce a few things, ladies and gents." He stepped on top of a box and raised his hands. "Alia and X need counseling, Axl is in deep shit, and we're _still _in the middle of a battlefield! I suggest you all work out your problems _after _we're done killing people!" Silence ensued. Alia was the first to break it.

"I'm...going back to HQ." She turned to look hurtfully at X. "I'll be in the command center." Her unspoken words this time were: _You'd better damn well be there_. In a flash, she was gone and X was more conflicted than he could remember being in years.

* * *

It was a matter of minutes, not hours, to completely wipe out all the mavericks in the base. Some reports stated that a large transport vehicle blasted its way out of the rear of the base, but it was too fast to pursue. It was at the following staff meeting that X decided to finally reveal his secret. Waiting as the reports were read off, as the meeting was about to be adjourned, he stood.

"Hold it. There's something you all need to know." All commanders looked up at him, and X looked around to make sure all had his attention. He then proceeded to explain to them about Elysium, just as Genoscythe had mere weeks ago. Their reactions ranged from skeptical to horrified, but Signas remained utterly calm. "...and according to Commander Genoscythe, the Maverick Virus can be destroyed at Elysium. All I ask is for a small team to get me there."

"A small team?" Signas spoke. "If this place is as dangerous as it sounds..."

"Then the less hunters, the better. All I need is a navigator, a mechanic, a pilot, and Malakai."

"Why Malakai?" Hector, commander of the 9th Ranger Division, asked.

X paused a moment for dramatic effect. "Because Malakai knows were Elysium is." Hector immediately burst into laughter.

"Malakai doesn't know where he keeps his pants."

"He's a Purifier from Elysium. He knows where it is," X assured them. Hector opened his mouth again, but then he realized that the idea wasn't as farfetched as it seemed. At least, not if everything about Elysium was true.

"What about Zero?" Signas pointed out.

"I figured he was a given," X said, resulting in a few chuckles around the room.

"And Axl?" Zero himself asked.

"You wanna try and stop him?" X replied, sitting back down.

"Clearly this requires some more organization," Signas said. He sounded and looked beaten; most likely due to the information just handed to him. Unlike most of the division commanders in the room, he was smart enough to know that X was telling the truth and to understand the ramifications of it all at once. "X, when you find a suitable team to go with, we'll schedule another meeting and plan from there."

"We don't have much time," X spoke. "Sigma is already on his way."

"Better find your team fast, then."

* * *

Nephtis was leaning against the wall outside the medlab, waiting for Marx to get a replacement arm to replace the replacement arm he had lost to Tempest, when she heard it. Megaman X was talking to Axl down the hallway, and she had tuned most of it out until she heard the word 'Elysium'. Moving toward them with her purposeful stride, she stopped before them.

"What about Elysium?" she said immediately. X didn't respond at first; he looked at Axl, who merely shrugged. He seemed to be contemplating something, then finally spoke up.

"I'd like you to come with us. As our mechanic."

Nephtis raised an eyebrow. "Come where?"

Now it was X's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Elysium. If you didn't know about it, why'd you ask?"

"I...heard about it at the battle."

X's eyebrows were getting a workout as they now narrowed. "You were _there?_ After I told you not to go?" Nephtis opened her mouth for a retort, but it never got there. A hand grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her back. She came to rest against a familiar body.

"She took care of herself. Took care of me too, actually," Marx said nonchalantly. "I would've been dead if she hadn't showed up." He looked around at the three other reploids. "What were you all talking about?"

"Nothing," X said hastily.

"Something called Elysium," Nephtis corrected venomously.

"Nephtis..."

"I'm not going unless he's going."

"Going where?" Marx interrupted.

"I still don't know," Nephtis said in an exasperated tone. "I just know that's where Isis is going." Marx's face hardened.

"Sounds like a plan."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," X warned.

"X, I just faced down an international criminal. What's the worst that could happen?"

X shook his head. "I'm only okay with letting Nephtis come because she won't be doing any fighting."

"Like hell I won't!" Nephtis broke in.

"She's a mechanic," X pointed out.

"And she's as tough as any of you," Marx said defensively, earning a kiss on the cheek from Nephtis. "Like I said, she saved my life tonight. If you give her a chance, she might save yours."

X opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. His face darkened even more as he said, "Alright, I don't care anymore. Come along if you want. I'm tired of trying to defend people that don't want protection." With that said, X stormed off down the corridor. Axl's gaze followed him, then turned back to Marx.

"Uh...I guess we'll tell you when the meeting starts."

"Meeting?" Marx questioned.

"Will we get any damn answers?" Nephtis asked.

Axl's head bobbed, intimidated by the woman's tone. "Yeah. Should be early tomorrow. I'd recharge a bit, if I were you." Marx nodded, and Axl left as well. As soon as they were alone, Nephtis twisted around in his arms and launched into a passionate kiss. When they parted, she whispered, "If I didn't know better, I'd screw you right now."

"Define better," Marx retaliated, which merely prompted her to kiss him again.

"Thanks for being on my side," she said sincerely, resting her head against his shoulder.

"No need to thank someone for using common sense."

"You're earning major brownie points tonight, Marx."

"I'm starting to wonder if those count for anything..."

"Marx! We went over this!"

* * *

Alia was walking down a nondescript corridor, her head spinning. Instead of working out the problems she had been expecting, X had presented her with a new one the moment he entered the empty command room. He had fully explained to her about Elysium, and that he wanted her to be his navigator. She found that harder to believe than the existence of a space station that had controlled humanity since their creation.

As opposed to saying anything, she merely stumbled out of the command room to think. X didn't follow her. Now she was more confused than ever, and she almost wished that he had.

A hard metallic clanking broke into her thoughts. She whirled around to find Endymion, resplendent in his silver armor, striding toward her with purpose in his legs.

"Alia," he said as a form of greeting.

"Oh, Endymion..."

"You were at the battle tonight. Did you see a gray feline-type maverick?"

The question caught her completely off-guard. It took her a few moments to remember that she had. "As a matter of fact...I did."

Endymion went rigid. His eyes suddenly took on a life that didn't seem to belong in the emotionless shell of a reploid. "_Where_? What happened to him?"

Alia's thoughts were temporarily put aside as she realized they had left Mystic to deal with him. "You know, I'm not sure. He was in the back of the base, loading some kind of transport. Last time I saw him, he was fighting a 17th hunter named Mystic."

What little color was in Endymion's flesh disappeared. "What?" His eyes burned with rage. "I'LL KILL HER!"

"Say what!" Alia gasped.

"She's a maverick! She's a damn maverick!" Endymion took off at a run, and Alia struggled to keep up with him.

"Wait! What's going on?" At this, Endymion shoved her brutally aside. She collided with the wall, and slumped to the floor. Though she knew Endymion could be cold sometimes, he had never hurt any of his comrades nor had he lashed out. Some of his teammates didn't even know what his voice sounded like. And here he was, screaming like a madman and throwing Alia about like a piece of baggage.

Alia stood up, her legs trembling uncontrollably. The only thing that seemed certain right now was that she had to tell X about this.

In five minutes, Alia was back in the command room and only mildly surprised to see X still sitting there.

"X," she said, her shaky voice surprising herself. "There's something _seriously _wrong with Endymion. He said..." She didn't know how to make the next sentence sound sane. "He said he's going to kill one of your hunters."

Slowly, X got to his feet in disbelief. "Why?" He asked, afraid of the answer. Alia explained the situation to him, and his shock melted into a frown. "Mystic's not a hunter. Zero saved her on the way back from the mountains." None of this made any sense. "Why would she pretend she's a hunter?" However, X soon realized the obvious.

"I'm not – " Alia began, but X cut her off with his revelation.

"You said she was fighting with a cat reploid?"

"In a manner of speaking..."

"That cat was the one that chased her into the maverick attack Zero saved her from. She must've been looking for revenge."

"That's not what it looked like."

X stared at her in confusion. "Then what _did _it look like?"

"It looked like she was trying to..._protect _him, as crazy as it sounds. She told us he wanted to defect, and when he attacked us she kept knocking him down. That doesn't sound like revenge to me."

X pressed a palm against his forehead, emitting a low growl of anger. _So this means Endymion's right? She's a maverick, and I should let him kill her?_ He knew that, logically, he should let him. However, there still wasn't enough evidence to condemn her to death, at least in X's mind. If she were killed and they found that she wasn't a maverick...

"I'll stop him," X said, and Alia nodded in agreement. He tapped his comm. link, and found Endymion's frequency. "Endy, it's X. Whatever you think you're doing, stop."

_"Shut up!" _was the enraged reply. X paled; despite all Alia had said, he still couldn't believe that Endymion could fly off the handle like this.

"I won't let you kill that girl," he said, more forcefully this time. He was already subconsciously moving toward the door.

_"Why not?__ She's a maverick!"_

"You don't have proof." X was now walking down the hall.

_"I'll kill you too!"_

"Endy, where are you?"

_"She let Claw escape!"_

"_Where are you_?" X's voice was razor-sharp now. He was met with silence. The line was broken. Thinking quickly, X connected to Zero. "Zero, where's Endy?"

_"Dunno. Why?"_

"Find him on your locator."

_"...he's heading toward the second floor elevator. Shit, he's moving fast. What's going on?"_

"Keep me updated," X said, ignoring Zero's request. He was flying down the corridor.

In less than five minutes, he was running out the door of the lobby elevator. As Zero had told him, Endymion was standing in the dead center. He seemed to be deciding where to go. X rammed him shoulder-first. Glad that he hadn't taken off his combat armor as Alia suggested earlier, he pinned Endymion's arms behind his back.

"What..._X_!" Endymion's voice was wild. "She's infected! She needs to die!" X didn't know what to say, he just held him to the ground. However, Endymion slipped a hand free and shoved X off him. As the 17th Commander recovered, he found a blade sticking under his chin.

"You probably know. Where is she? She's still here, isn't she?"

"How could you..." The blade pressed deeper, and now X could feel it on his neck.

_"She's in a lab on the third floor," _Zero's voice said in X's comm. link. Not sure why he would say this, X decided to act on it.

"She's in a lab on the third floor," X blurted, trying to sound reluctant. Endymion nodded in content and began running toward the elevators. Even before he got to one, it opened. X looked back in time to see a crimson fist fly out the door and smash Endymion squarely in the face. The silver hunter fell back, his processor jarred and temporarily shut down. Zero stepped out of the elevator calmly.

"Told him the knuckles were useless..." the blonde hunter muttered as he bound Endymion's hands. X walked up to them, looking down at Endymion in bewilderment.

"I don't believe it," X said slowly.

"Believe what you see," Zero grunted, hoisting the unconscious Maverick Hunter over his shoulder. "Now we need to figure out what to do with him."

* * *

The next morning, X was back in the command room. This time, there were no other commanders save Zero. Only Marx, Nephtis, Axl, Selene, Alia, and Malakai occupied the room, and all of them sat at the long holo table in the center of the room. X and Signas stood in front, both their expressions grim.

"This morning, we got a report that Doppler Airport was attacked. There weren't many casualties, but a plane was stolen. I think you all know who attacked and where they're going with the plane." Signas's powerful voice filled the room. Most people were paying attention, apart from Marx and Nephtis. Marx had just found a ticklish spot on her thigh, and he was attempting to find out exactly how ticklish it was.

Nephtis choked back a giggle as he touched the correct spot. In retaliation, she pinched his side. Where, to his great misfortune, he was ticklish as well. He barely managed to stifle a laugh. Nobody was paying them any attention, except for Malakai. He watched them with a massive grin splayed across his sharp features. Marx decided to push his luck and he reached farther, going under her shorts. Now, he _definitely _found a ticklish spot. She doubled over, shrieking with uncontrolled laughter. As the sensation subsided, she straightened up and backhanded Marx on the way.

Now people were paying attention to them. Everyone, in fact, had their eyes on the couple. Malakai's grin had somehow expanded, and Zero was giving Marx a thumbs-up.

"_If _we could continue..." Signas finally said, breaking the stupor in the room. "It seems we have everyone we need. A pilot..." Signas nodded to Malakai. "A mechanic..." he now nodded at Nephtis, who had flushed scarlet. "And a navigator..." his eyes now turned on Alia. "Everyone else, you all understand that we have no idea what we're up against, correct?" They all nodded.

"Selene...what about Endy?" Marx heard Axl whisper. The chocolate-haired girl, who seemed to be both furious and saddened, turned a red eye on her boyfriend.

"What about who?" She muttered angrily, wiping away a tear.

Axl looked wholly confused. "Are you all right?"

It was now Selene's turn to hit Axl. "Do I look all right!" My brother's lost it! He freaked out on Commander X, and threatened to kill him!"

Axl's eyes widened as his face paled. "...why?"

"I don't know, and I don't care! That bastard's locked up now, and that's all that matters." From her tone, Axl could tell that that was definitely _not _all that mattered. He put a comforting arm around her waist, but she moved her chair out of his reach.

"Once again, if we could continue..." Signas reigned in the meeting once more. "Are you prepared to face the unknown?" Another round of nods. "Remember, Sigma is no longer our main concern. The destruction of the Maverick Virus and the prevention of this 'Carbon Reinitialization Program' are all that matter anymore.

I called the NTNA, and they have an airship waiting for us. You leave immediately. I wish I could give you time for goodbyes, but we have none." With Signas's speech finished, everyone slowly got to their feet. The situation felt unreal; it _was_ unreal. "Alia, if you may...?" Signas prompted her to activate the IT satellite.

"Wait!" Nephtis cried out, rushing out the door. In a moment, she was back, cradling a large blue metool in her arms. They all disappeared before she could see the look of gratitude on Marx's face. However, there were two unwanted guests that soon followed them: the first was a blonde woman listening to the meeting from down the hall. The second was thebound silver Maverick Hunter listening through Zero's comm. frequency.

**End of Chapter 30**

AN: Something cool that I never noticed before: The maverick symbol is really the letter Sigma in the Greek alphabet. Just a crazy little bit of trivia.


	32. Chapter 31: Race to Destiny

**_Megaman X: Elysium Rising_**

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 31: Race to Destiny

BGM: Journey - Frontiers

By Genoscythe

**Final ****Mission****: Delete the Maverick Virus**

**Maverick Leader: Sigma/Tempest/Tread Havoc**

**Main Objective: Stop the Carbon Reinitialization Program**

**Secondary Objective: Eliminate all traces of the Maverick Virus.**

**Commence Operation**

Marx never thought he would be loading boxes again after the death of Dr. Belheim, but now he found himself doing just that. Most of the others were either standing down at the nose of the airship, or inside making preparations. Marx had volunteered to load supplies into the massive cargo hold simply because he wanted something to calm his nerves, and he figured getting into an old habit would work wonders. It did.

Marx was soon interrupted by a very strange sight. A young woman in a scarlet dress was running toward him, her pinned-up blonde hair bobbing up and down rapidly. Other things were bobbing as well, but Marx couldn't look at those.

"Hey," she said as she drew closer, planting her hands on the crate he was carrying. "Mind if I sneak aboard? I'll make it worth your while..." she reached to stroke his cheek, but he pulled back.

"Sorry, lady. I'm private property," he explained with a grin. She looked taken aback.

"You're...what?"

"I've already got a girl."

"And...that matters to you?"

Now it was Marx's turn to be taken aback. "Of course." The blonde reploid blinked in surprise.

"Maybe Di's wrong..." he heard her mutter. "Well, will you let me on anyway?"

"Sure, as long as you tell me why."

"I'm...Commander X's girlfriend. I don't want him to leave without me, but he said it was too dangerous."

"I can believe that," Marx said with a chuckle. "He's right, though."

"I'm a Maverick Hunter."

"Well, I can't really tell you what to do with your life. Welcome aboard, miss...?"

"Mystic," she said, climbing into the gaping cargo hold. "Not a word to the others, mmkay?"

Marx nodded, setting down his crate for her to hide behind. She did so, and was soon completely boxed in. Minutes later, as the cargo doors began to close, a nearly invisible figure slipped through and crouched next to Mystic's hiding spot. Neither were aware of the other's existence.

* * *

The engines were already thrumming to life as Malakai made his way back from the Neo Tokyo National Airport main terminal, having fully downloaded the knowledge he needed to fly a plane. On his way to the cockpit, a human was standing in his way, writing something on a clipboard. The mere sight of him started his energy boiling. 

"Out of the damn way, meatball," Malakai growled, and he moved to shove the human out of the way. However, his restraints kicked in at the last second, and his fist stopped just short of the human's face. Silently cursing Mistress Kira for tampering with his OS, Malakai simply moved around the surprised man and took a seat at the pilot's chair.

"All fleshbags, please get off the plane. We're taking off!" Malakai yelled back, and the NTNA workers all heeded his words. Alia soon entered the cockpit, taking up navigation controls. Next came X, Zero, and Axl, who stood in the center and tensed for the coming battle. Selene took hold of the co-pilot controls, and Malakai started taxiing down the runway until he was cleared by air traffic control.

The plane suddenly rocketed forward, as if thrown from a giant catapult. Both Zero and Axl almost fell over, but X had the foresight to activate the wall climbing program before takeoff.

"So...X," Zero growled, his teeth clenched. "Why didn't we teleport there?"

"Two reasons," X replied calmly. "First, we don't know exactly where it is. If we make a miscalculation, then we'll be sinking to the bottom of the ocean and we can't contact HQ to call us back. Second, we're trying to intercept Sigma before he gets there."

Zero looked about at the interior of their aircraft. "Signas said the mavs stole a gunship. Why are we in a cargo plane?"

X tapped his buster arm. "We've got guns, don't we?"

* * *

Marx found Nephtis in some kind of makeshift workshop near the back of the plane. She sat at a counter, on which were scattered various pieces of metal that included Darius. 

According to Malakai, they were halfway to Elysium. He told this to Nephtis as he laid an arm around her shoulder.

"Only another hour of reality, huh?" She said softly as he massaged her shoulder.

"You know, I was just thinking...maybe we really are getting in over our heads. X said these things have been controlling history since forever. If they've got that kind of power, then what chance do we have?"

"Marx, this is a battle, not a history lesson."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah...it's just easier not to think about it."

"I can't help it now."

"Poor thing. Want me to knock you out so you won't have to worry about it?" She twirled a wrench in her fingers.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He said playfully, his grip on her shoulder tightening.

"Maybe..." Her eyes darted about, her voice full of mock-guilt. Marx noticed what she had been working on.

"Isn't that one of Axl's guns?" He asked, pointing to the large silver cannon resting on the counter.

Nephtis nodded. "I'm trying to see if I can increase the speed of the rockets. They're homing, but they can be shot down pretty easily." Marx wasn't paying attention to the rocket launcher anymore. She turned away from the counter and fixed him with a sultry stare. "And...what _exactly _are you looking at?" Without a word, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Their lips immediately converged, and he pulled her back to the wall. However, this kiss was different than their usual ones. Mouths open, their tongues connected, and the message was clear.

Nephtis broke away, having been caught up in the moment. "Here? _Now_?" She whispered huskily.

"Why not?" He responded, toying with one of her tank top straps.

"The door's open. Everyone can see us, not to mention hear us."

"You think we'll get a chance at Elysium?" That was all the reasoning she needed to hear.

* * *

Several feet away, in the cockpit, Alia found something disturbing on the radar. 

"X...you said we're _trying _to intercept the mavericks, right?" She called back.

"Yeah," X replied, walking over to her console.

"Good..." Alia murmured, pointing at the large blip in front of them. Zero nodded, turning around to find Marx. Within moments, he was ducking through a low door and finding himself in a very awkward position. This became even more awkward as a green tank top landed at his feet.

"Ahh...Marx?" Zero asked cautiously. The dusty-haired Maverick Hunter looked over Nephtis's bare shoulder.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"We've got mavs on the radar. Better get ready." Nephtis turned her head to the side, reaching up and brushing the hair away from her face. With her arm out of the way, Zero could get a clear view of...

_Clean thoughts, Zero..._ he chanted in his mind, looking away. _She's Marx's girl, Zero. Clean thoughts, Zero. Clean thoughts..._

"Do you mind?" Nephtis asked harshly; Zero didn't realize that he was still standing there.

"Oh, right." Zero left the room as quickly as he could. The clean thoughts chant wasn't working very well today.

* * *

"Ten more minutes?" Nephtis pleaded, stroking his cheek. Marx was having trouble believing that the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen was pressing up against him, topless, and begging for ten more minutes together. His answer, as well as anyone else's would be, was... 

"How could I say no?" He immediately returned to kissing her neck, which prompted a sensual growl from deep inside her chest. His hands, now wrapped around her arched back, moved forward with one destination in mind. However, they never got there. The cargo ship rocked violently, throwing both of them to the floor. Nephtis was on her feet first, growling now in rage instead of passion.

"Wrap it up, Marx!" Zero yelled from the cockpit. Dazed and still halfway in the land of bliss, he stumbled to his feet. Feeling like he should be the gentleman, he picked up the discarded tank top and handed it to Nephtis. She ignored it, instead grabbing a metal chest and flinging it open. Inside sat her uniform and golden armor.

Nearly tearing off her pants, she slipped into the form-fitting uniform and began attaching her armor. She glanced at Marx. "I brought yours too," she said, kicking another gray box toward him. He opened it, holding up his uniform hesitantly. "Oh, come on," Nephtis chided. "You were gonna do it anyway."

In minutes, they were armed and moving for the door. However, Marx laid a hand on her arm. "Wait here."

"Don't tell me you're buying into X's – "

"In case they break in, we don't want all our stuff defenseless," he explained with a reassuring smile. She nodded wordlessly, stepping back and letting him through the doorway. "What was that?" He asked when he was in the open cockpit.

"Long range battery," Alia said worriedly. "They can see us."

"Speed up, Malakai," X prompted.

"Aye aye, cap!" Malakai exclaimed dryly. He eased a throttle forward, and Marx felt himself sliding along the metal floor. Too soon for Marx's liking, a hulking shadow appeared out of the cloud bank ahead. It was nearly twice as big as their fat cargo plane, a long streamlined behemoth with four massive engines protected by petal-like shields. The sides of the rounded airship were bristling with small cannons, and one not-so-small cannon stuck out of the top like a shark's fin.

This cannon was the one currently lobbing ordinance at them. A streak of light flashed by, and their plane rocked to the side. However, as they drew closer, the next shot went wide. Marx breathed a sigh of relief. They were in the cannon's blind spot.

However, that simply meant they were in range of the smaller guns. Without a sound, X bolted backward and grabbed hold of a ladder. He pulled himself up and through a hole in the roof to come face to hull with the massive battleship. The two aircraft were now flying parallel to each other, in the fashion of ancient sea warfare. He raised his buster and fired a scattered burst of energy at the nearest cannon. Their fire wasn't doing much damage individually, but with at least ten cannons on the top row and ten on the bottom of the ship, their combined fire was taking its toll.

The cannon he was shooting at exploded, attracting the attention of the others. One fired, and X rolled, simultaneously thanking god for the wall climbing program. However, another caught him in the chest and he was wrenched free of the ship. He was horrifyingly airborne for a split second, then a strong hand clamped down on his wrist. Zero set him back down on the hull of the ship and brought up his buster arm. Behind them, he could hear Axl's gatling cannon whirring to life.

All opened fire, and two cannons erupted into flames. Axl's weapon swung in a wide arc, ripping fist-sized holes in most of the upper cannons. They turned their attention to the guns on the ship's underside, where their fire tore through both weapon and hull. When they were finished, smoke was rising from the side of the ship. But, then again, the same could be said for the hunters' vessel.

Two things happened that altered the playing field. First, mavericks began popping out of hatches on the upper levels of the gunship. Second, a boarding shaft extended out the side of the battleship and latched onto theirs with a crunch and grind of metal. X desperately hoped that the others could take care of it.

* * *

Tempest clacked his mandibles in anticipation. There was without a shadow of a doubt that Nephtis was in that Maverick Hunter plane. Especially after what he had told her. Of course, this is exactly what Tempest wanted. He wanted payback for the loss of _both _his arms. 

Of course, he couldn't do it himself while he was still sans appendages.

"Isis! Get over here!" He barked, leaning against the wall. He tried not to look at the stump of his left arm; of his right arm there was nothing to look at. A drawn-out minute passed before the curvaceous maverick poked her head through the doorway.

"What?" She asked in annoyance.

Tempest cocked his head toward the battle raging outside the window. "Your little sister's in that plane. I want you to pay her back for taking away my favorite limbs."

Diamond Edge's eyes glinted. "I'll pay her back, and then some. She owes me too." With that, she disappeared again, headed for the boarding shaft.

Diamond slipped through the crowd of mavericks like water through a crack. Two Maverick Hunters stood on the other side of the cramped boarding shaft, raining bullets down on the mavericks trying to get inside. Those that got through, she soon realized, were cut down by Nephtis. Perfect. She rushed forward, pushing the maverick in front of her toward the storm of bullets like a shield.

As soon as she was able, she darted out into the Maverick Hunters' plane. Nephtis charged at her, but stopped short when she realized who it was. Diamond Edge kicked her in the side, sending her skidding through a door to the left. She jumped in after her armored sister, slamming the door shut as she did so. They were now standing in a cramped room with a countertop on one side. A large blue metool caught Diamond's eye for a split second, but she decided it was harmless.

Nephtis flipped backward onto her feet as a blade lanced downward. Diamond looked up, her expression feral. She pulled her arm out of the floor and held out the scythe-like blade on her forearm in an attack position. Nephtis held her staff across her right shoulder – an odd but effective fighting style.

Tired of waiting for the first move, Isis lashed out with her arm blade. The staff swung down and batted it out of the way, coming back up and slicing dangerously close to her neck.

"This is the thanks I get," she muttered in disgust. Truly, Nephtis should have taken Isis's actions as a gift. If not, she would have been subjugated to the kind of torture Isis endured almost every night from the international criminal. While he enjoyed having a terrifying image, he also made sure his body was 'compatible' with female reploids. _Compatible my ass... _she thought venomously.

The staff came down again, this time directly above her head. Isis brought up both her arms and just barely stopped the humming blade from slicing through her metal skull. She spun, bringing her arms on top of the staff and driving it into the ground. She ran at Nephtis before her sister could defend. Her right arm blade arced toward her, but before it drove into her head she knocked Isis aside with the shaft of her spear.

Isis ducked under the staff and grabbed it, pulling it and its owner toward her. Before Nephtis could respond, she reached out and grabbed her throat. The younger-looking reploid was thrust into a wall of lockers opposite the counter.

"Just tell me one thing, little one. Say 'thank you' for saving your life. Say 'thank you' for enduring torture at Tempest's hands when it could have easily been you in my place. Say 'thank you' for killing you before he could get another chance at it."

"Turkey...sandwich..." Nephtis grunted. Isis blinked in surprise.

"_What_ did you say?" she asked, more astonished than anything.

"You heard me, bitch. T – U – R – K – E – Y sandwich."

A strange crackling sound was growing behind Isis's back, but that was the least concern of hers.

"You just wasted your last breath on utter nonsense. Maybe I _should _give you to – AAAAUGH!" Her screams were silenced by a wave of blue light. Nephtis ducked as the beam of energy tore through Isis's torso, incinerating all shreds of the icy woman's upper half. The blast collided with the lockers behind her, and Nephtis hastily shouted "Bean dip!"

Darius happily folded the beam cannon back into his helmet and went back into sleep mode. Nephtis, already on her knees, looked at her sister's legs with shock and horror. It wasn't until now that she had realized what Isis had sacrificed for her. Her words meant nothing to her before; she hadn't deserved Nephtis's attention.

"Kamilah..." Nephtis whispered in futility. What was left of her sister would never respond.

* * *

They were at a stalemate. The mavericks lacked firepower, and the Maverick Hunters lacked manpower. They seemed to pour endlessly from the boarding shaft, and Marx had given up waiting for the hunters on top of the ship to destroy it. They were too busy shooting at the aircraft itself. 

Another empty clip, and Marx was out of bullets. He was about to switch to his shoulder cannons, but his memory sparked an idea. He took off toward Nephtis's workstation, leaving Selene to fend off the mavericks for a moment. He stopped for a split second when he found Nephtis crying on the floor next to a pair of attractive – yet severed and bloody – legs. However, time was of the essence, and he grabbed the Napalm Cannon without asking for an explanation.

He skidded back in front of the boarding shaft, sparks kicking up from his boots. With the huge silver cannon resting on his shoulder, the mavericks momentarily paused. Then, a missile was on its way and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Marx and Selene both backed up as the missile cruised over the heads of the mavericks, only to collide with the roof of the boarding shaft.

The entire top half of the shaft was blown off, but even more devastating was the rain of fire that covered the mavericks below. Within seconds, the boarding shaft snapped and burning reploids were torn away by the wind. Marx readied the Napalm Cannon again as the door to the mavericks' gunship began closing. The missiles were slow, but not too slow.

As soon as the doors closed, they bulged outward and the entire battleship swayed a bit. Selene cheered, but Marx was already running for Nephtis.

Megaman X felt the cargo ship rock again, and became worried. The mavericks' battleship was being torn apart by the combined firepower of the three most powerful reploids in the world. Huge sections of the hull were twisted and blackened, bullet holes covered the surface, and there were more than a few patches of ice. X got an idea that could end the battle.

"Malakai?" He yelled into his comm. link.

_"Yeah boss?"_ was Malakai's response. He sounded bored.

"Slow down a bit. I want a shot at their engines."

_"It won't work, but whatever." _Their ship eased back, until X could see the blue fire of an ion drive. He fired a shot, but it was absorbed by the thrust. The actual engines were covered with energy-resistant shields. Fortunately for them, they had a non-energy weapon.

"Axl, take care of that shield," X said, pointing to the petal-like shield. Axl turned his gatling cannon toward it, firing up and down until a solid line was drilled along it. The shield broke off, and X could now see the black metal beneath. He waited for a charged shot, and when he was at maximum capacity, he fired. The thruster lit up for a split second, like a lightning cloud, as it absorbed the energy. Then, it blasted out a plume of blue fire like a dying beast's last breath. Chunks of metal were tossed into the wind, and another of the engines was badly shaken by the explosion.

Unfortunately, the maverick vessel suddenly veered toward them from the loss of their engine. X, Axl, and Zero jumped back through the hatch and landed in the ship as the two planes collided. The bigger ship knocked theirs to the side like an annoying fly, and continued its plummet through the sea of clouds. Malakai was wrestling with the controls, screaming obscenities as the ship nearly spun upside-down. Their right wing had been smashed to an almost unrecognizable point.

The cargo plane suddenly dove downward into the cloud bank.

---

"What was that?" X asked as the three scrambled into the cockpit.

"That was me," Malakai explained with a wry grin. All around them, clouds surged past them. It was as if their ship was flying through a giant cotton ball. Then, as suddenly as they had entered, they emerged. The clouds whipped away, and everyone's breath was taken with them.

When X saw the size of it, he couldn't believe nobody had found it before. But then again, Elysium was always able to alter the minds of those who did find it. From their vantage point, gliding uncertainly toward it, it looked like an island. Elysium was roughly thirty miles in diameter, and it appeared as though low buildings dotted a lush landscape. What caught his attention the most, however, was the tower rising up in the middle. The tower was about five miles wide, starting in the dead center of the 'island' and curving upward. It seemed impossibly tall, and the flat tip scraped at the clouds above. It was made of a dark gray metal, unlike the white buildings below it.

They rushed forward, far too fast for X's liking. Now directly over Elysium, buildings and ferns sped underneath them. Briefly, X realized that the buildings almost looked like a giant labyrinth from their altitude. As he looked back up, he found that they were hurtling straight at the tower, which seemed to be getting bigger by the second.

Now X could see etched designs and what appeared to be red eyeballs covering the tower. They weren't fairly obvious; the ship was simply close enough so that X could see them clearly. Malakai finally got the ship to bank to the right, and the belly of the plane skimmed the tower as they flew around it. X, Zero, and Axl were all thrown to the wall, while Alia and Malakai held onto their controls. Selene was already sitting on the right wall, so she didn't have very far to fall.

In moments, the tower was behind them and Malakai was struggling to straighten them out. He failed. The ship wobbled uncertainly, then the right engine abruptly cut out.

"Strap yourselves in, ladies and gent. This is gonna be a bitch!" Malakai yelled back. Only Axl understood that he and Zero were the ladies, and X was the gent. All Malakaiisms aside, they ignored his advice. He shrugged, trying to level out the plane as much as he could before they crashed.

They first hit a low building that looked as if it were made of marble, skipped across it like a rock on water, then careened off the side and into the building behind it. X lost consciousness immediately, but one thought made itself clear before everything went black: _We made it_.

**End of Chapter 31**

AN: I've been meaning to write this one for awhile, and I think it's one of my favorites so far (both writing-wise and reading-wise). Hopefully you all enjoyed it too. Note: Kamilah means perfection.


	33. Chapter 32: The Garden of Eden

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 32: The Garden of Eden

By Genoscythe

AN: Sorry this is so late. From here on, things aren't fleshed out quite as well as they were before, so there'll be a good amount of winging it on my part. I'll try to keep up the pace, though, as school isn't turning out to be too bad this year.

* * *

Marx's processor was a mess. One moment, he found himself staring into a glaring red orb. The next, he was being dragged by formless gray shapes. Finally, when his systems were prepared to reboot, he awoke. This, he decided, was a bad move.

Gone were the solid metal walls of the cargo ship. Gone was Nephtis from his side. Gone was his replacement replacement arm. In their place, the dark shapes stood over him like a stage audience. Their single bloody eyes stared at him expectantly, and he shifted upright. This wasn't easy to do with only one arm, but he managed.

His armor was scratched and broken in places, whether from these dark machines or the crash he couldn't tell and didn't care. "Where the hell am I?" He asked logically, and he was responded with silence. "Hello? Anybody home?" Awkwardly, he got to his feet and switched on his night vision. He almost leapt back in surprise.

The dark shapes were robots, unlike anything he had ever seen before. They carried massive shields at their side, and wore what appeared to be Japanese hats on their heads. The blurry green robots were barrel-shaped, and on their free arms Marx could see long, cylindrical busters. He switched off his NV, staggering back to the wall. He badly wanted to cry out, to get some answers, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything.

The foremost robot's eye blinked for only the briefest of seconds, and Marx waited for them to all raise their busters. Nothing happened. At this point, Marx almost would have preferred some action.

In a few moments, Marx got his wish. A rectangle of light appeared on the far corner of the right wall, and a slender shape was silhouetted in the brightness. The form swept itself into the room, and as it did so, lights on the ceiling began to turn on behind her. Yes, it was a her. Definitely a her.

The machines parted like the Red Sea before Moses, and the green-haired woman walked calmly through the mass of metal. She stopped before Marx, looking him up and down. Seeming satisfied, she nodded and spoke to him. "You are clean. You may join the others." Her voice was cool, calculating, and nearly monotone. That being said, she whipped around and began returning the way she came, with the lights disappearing behind her as she went.

"Wait!" Marx called, rushing to keep up behind her. "Who are you?"

"Mother Unit Kira. Reaverbot Control Alpha," was the mechanical response.

"Mother...?" Marx murmured in wonder, looking around at the machines around her. It was safe to say these were the 'Reaverbots' she was talking about. "So, we made it to Elysium?"

"Correct."

"Is everyone alright?"

"State your definition of alright."

Marx stammered, not sure if she was attempting a joke or not. "Is everyone alive?"

"Yes."

Marx decided to count his blessings, no matter how small. "You're trying to stop the Carbon whatsit, right?" He asked, making sure they hadn't landed in the clutches of their enemy.

"Correct. We are the Omegas."

Marx nodded. _At least something went right. _"Where _are _the others?"

"I am taking you to them." Kira's mechanical voice was starting to grate on his nerves. Marx decided to take a look at his surroundings, and found that they were walking down a narrow gray corridor. The only light in the corridor came from illuminated strips of the ceiling, which turned on as they approached and flickered off as they passed. Marx whistled. This Mother Unit seemed to be controlling the environment itself. He made a mental note not to piss her off.

Out of nowhere, an orange door appeared before them. It slid apart, and sunlight flooded in. Kira continued undaunted, but Marx had to blink to adjust his optics. They were now in a light-flooded courtyard, the spacious walls made of a white marble-like substance. Plants seemed to be everywhere; lining the walls, hanging out of alcoves, and covering the ground.

The slender Mother Unit led Marx down a marble path, slipping deftly through massive fronds. In no time, they were walking toward another gray metal building, and Kira was stepping through the orange portal. Marx followed her, and was surprised to find that this building was one wide, open empty space. Well, not entirely empty.

Zero gave Marx a light-hearted wave from his position sitting on the floor, and Axl merely gave him a glance. He could see the wonder and confusion on the young reploid's face, and thought it strange that Zero was unaffected. To his disappointment, they were the only ones there. Nephtis was nowhere to be seen.

"Take a seat. Show's gonna start soon," the blonde Maverick Hunter said, patting the ground next to him. Marx sidled over to them, watching as Kira walked briskly to a corner of the room. Re-evaluating his first assumption that the room was almost empty, he saw X and a man similar to Kira talking heatedly in the corner. In the middle of his sentence, he turned his crimson eyes toward Kira and flashed her a brief smile. X himself turned to the newcomer, but she merely bowed and remained silent.

"Can either of you fill me in?" Marx asked, hoping that Zero's carefree attitude meant he knew something. The crimson hunter shook his head; Axl was too busy being astonished to respond. Apparently the full scope of their situation hadn't registered with Axl until they had actually landed on Elysium. Marx still didn't believe it himself. History rewritten? No, more like the real history. Disbelief was the only thing that kept him from losing it.

Another door opened to their left, and a weary Selene stepped through. Her armor was gone, and in its place she wore an exotic white dress similar to Kira's. Axl gave her a weak wave, and without a word she made her way to them. She collapsed next to the young hunter, who silently pulled her close to him.

"This isn't everyone, is it?" The man with the crimson eyes called, stepping away from the corner with X and Kira flanking him.

"It'd better not be," Zero responded icily.

"The woman with the golden armor is unconscious at the moment," Kira informed him. "She attacked our Reaverbots, and we were forced to take action."

Despite the news, Marx had to smile. That was his Nephtis, alright.

"What about Malakai?" Zero asked.

"Purifier Tau is being detained," was the cold reply.

"Tau, or 'Malakai', was an Alpha Purifier," the crimson-eyed man began, sensing the confusion on Zero's face. "We were lucky enough to capture him and force him to help us."

"That's noble," Zero snorted.

"You don't know what's at stake here, Zero." Marx was now even more confused than before. This man knew Zero? "All our colonies have failed but this one. If we have to use the CRP, it could be another millennia before we find another planet as perfect as Earth."

"So that's your excuse for brainwashing people?"

"What, you'd rather be fighting _against _Tau?"

Zero had no reply. Marx now looked to X, who had a deeply troubled expression on his face. After a moment of silence, he put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"I'd like a few minutes alone with them, Genoscythe."

The man, who Marx realized was Genoscythe, nodded and turned, leaving the room with Kira at his side. X now stood forward, and they all looked at him expectantly.

"What's up?" Zero asked calmly. Marx wondered how he was still keeping his cool, even with the disturbed look on X's face.

"I just found out..." X began, clearing his throat hesitantly. "They need me to replace Eden."

Zero blinked. "So...what's that mean in English?"

"That means I can't leave, whether I survive or not," X's voice was cold; detached. "Eden's the living computer that controls all of Elysium's subsystems as well as most of the intelligent machines. I need to take Eden's place in the center of Elysium."

Finally, Zero's resolve seemed to crumble a bit. "...why you? Why can't they make another reploid to do this?"

"Because..." X let out a shuddering breath. "They already have me. This is what I was built for. We can't just destroy Eden, we have to replace it or else Elysium will break down."

"Screw Elysium! Easier just to blow this whole damn place up than try to save it."

X lowered his gaze. "I wish it were that simple, but we need Genoscythe and Mistress Kira on our side. _They _don't want to destroy Elysium, and since they're the ones in control of the Reaverbot army, they're the ones calling the shots."

"We'll just take 'em all on, then."

"I don't think so. The Reaverbots are stupid, but they're way stronger than any reploid."

"Damn it, X. I'm not gonna throw you to the dogs."

"I know, and I'm sorry. If there was another way, I would have taken it."

"There is!" Zero was fuming now. "There always is!" Marx watched in detached bewilderment as X and Zero continued on their argument. Now adding to the pile of things he didn't believe was the thought that X wouldn't make it back from this mission.

As he watched, he felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders from behind. He immediately tensed, expecting a Reaverbot or, worse, the blonde stowaway. However, his fears were immediately put to rest.

"Ease up, soldier. It's me." Nephtis's honey-like voice filled his ears, and he relaxed. She only spoke that way to him.

"I was gettin' worried," he said off-handedly, and he heard her drop to her knees behind him. Moments later, she had draped her arms across his shoulders and rested her chin on his right shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked, hearing the concern in his voice. He briefly relayed what X had told them, and why he and Zero were arguing. She paled. "You're kidding...right?"

"Ask X," Marx replied wearily. Interrupting all conversation, Genoscythe reappeared in the doorway. Zero bolted to his feet and strode over to the green-haired man – or was he a machine? Without saying a word, the crimson reploid launched his fist into Genoscythe's face. His head snapped back; the rest of his body didn't move an inch. Slowly, Zero withdrew his fist and Genoscythe turned his blood-red gaze on him.

"Feel better now, Zero?"

"Bastard. You just happened to forget a few convenient details when you told X about this place?" The blonde Maverick Hunter was fuming. "Didn't think he would come if he knew he'd have to die?"

Genoscythe shook his head and tried to step around Zero. The reploid grabbed him and held him firmly in place. Turning a sour glance on Zero, Genoscythe then addressed the gathering of reploids. "I didn't 'forget' because I was afraid he wouldn't come. I was afraid _you _wouldn't let him come."

"Smart choice," Zero conceded. "I'm not gonna let him die over this."

"I never said anybody would die," X put in, walking over to them. "I'm just going to take control of Eden."

"That's supposed to be better?"

"I can save billions of lives."

Zero's eyes narrowed, and he now placed an arm on X's shoulder. "Get _off _your damn high horse! Nobody designated you to be the next Jesus Christ."

"Actually, _we _did," Genoscythe pointed out from behind.

"Shut up!" Zero barked, turning his head just long enough to shout out the command. "Look, you're not gonna sacrifice anything. We won't lift a finger until we find a way around this," he stated, looking around at the hunters for support. They were all watching Zero in wide-eyed astonishment, but most of them managed a weak nod.

"You can try all you want," Genoscythe said slyly. "I doubt the Alphas will wait around for your solution."

Zero whipped around to face the purifier again, his face red and wild. Finding himself unable to speak, he simply pointed a finger threateningly at Genoscythe, who seemed to be becoming increasingly amused.

"I doubt they'll attack soon, however," the purifier said reassuringly. "They must still be fishing Sigma out of the ocean."

"Why do they need him?" X asked.

"The same reason we need you," Genoscythe replied. "Only _he _was made to replace the Master, the missing element in Eden's system."

X blinked in surprise. "But Sigma was made at least thirty years after I was. Why did they wait?"

"They didn't. I'm sure you remember _why _Sigma went Maverick in the first place, don't you?"

X now directed his gaze to Zero, who was still staring daggers at Genoscythe. "...Zero?" He asked tentatively, but he knew even before he spoke. It all fit. X was made by Doctor Light, Zero by Doctor Wily. Both were made at roughly the same time, both were virtual opposites. X had always leaned toward peace, Zero toward destruction.

"Now _I'm_ a sacrifice too?" Zero spat.

"Not anymore, although I suppose you still could be," Genoscythe replied, his face still smug. "Your Elysium Interface program is linked to the Maverick Virus that you used to hold. Now that Sigma is the virus carrier, he can interface with Elysium as well."

"So now that all the pawns are here, we can start the game?"

"Essentially."

* * *

Many hours later, X and the hunters were still sitting in the room, going over the situation in their minds. However, something began gnawing at X. _Where's Alia?_ He asked silently. His thoughts were received by silence. Slowly, he got to his feet and looked about. A single Reaverbot stood at either doorway, but he doubted they would prevent him from leaving.

Pushing one of them aside, he began walking down a hallway in the direction he had been taken from. After what felt like an eternity, he emerged through a door and into one of the numerous courtyards dotting the complex.

"X," A voice stated to his right. He whirled to face Genoscythe, red eyes glimmering.

"How did you...?" he was unable to finish his sentence.

"How many people were on that plane?"

X thought for a brief moment. "Seven."

An uncharacteristic look of surprise flashed across Genoscythe's face. "Not nine? You're sure?"

X's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, why?"

"There were two reploids in the cargo hold when we salvaged that wreck. One was a man with silver armor, and the other was a woman in a red dress."

_It couldn't be..._ X blinked, thinking of the ramifications this could have. "What did you do with the silver one?

"He's unconscious, like the woman."

"You didn't put them both together, did you?"

"We separated all the survivors."

"Good. Now tell me wh–" X's words caught in his throat. _The survivors. That means someone didn't survive. Alia!_

"X?" Genoscythe queried, sounding less concerned and more curious.

"Alia...she's dead...isn't she?" X choked out the words, tears brimming his emerald eyes. He thought the years of his life had numbed him of pain, but the chill tightening around his gut assured him that they had not.

"In a sense..." Genoscythe said wearily.

X blinked away his tears. "In a sense? Either someone's dead or they're not."

"Her reactor was smashed, but her processor was still intact. We've begun downloading her into a new body."

Just like that, the cold burst into white-hot fire. "You think she'll make it?"

Genoscythe chuckled his usual mirthless laugh, then said, "There's no chance of failure. Remember, we make species in our spare time. This is nothing to us."

X wasn't quite sure what to say. He did, however, know what to do. "Take me to her."

"Dunno if you want to see her like this, X," Genoscythe said. "She'll look like one of us."

"I don't care."

"Suit yourself..." Genoscythe stepped out of the building's shadow and led him to a square cut into the ground of the courtyard. Seemingly on its own accord, the panel began to descend into Elysium, and in no time they were in the midst of another nondescript corridor.

"How do you find your way around this place?" X asked as Genoscythe began leading him along again.

"Same way ants find their way around an anthill," the purifier replied. His next words were drowned out by a scream up ahead, and X paled. When the scream subsided, Genoscythe explained. "Don't worry, we're just making sure Tau stays put."

As they passed a door up ahead, Genoscythe stopped. "She's in here. X, before you do something stupid, just know it's only temporary. We have machines to change what she looks like."

X eyed him oddly. "I'm not Zero."

"Yeah, but I know how you are with women. Just giving you a heads-up..." With that, Genoscythe continued down the hall toward the source of the screaming. X looked through the doorway, steeling himself for whatever he might find inside.

At first, he didn't think he was looking at Alia. Even after he realized it was her, he didn't believe it. In the small, dark room lined with alien machines and capsules, only one of the many tables before him was occupied. On it lay a woman colored identically to everyone else at Elysium: Dark tanned skin and apple-green hair. It spread out under her like a blanket, reaching all the way to the small of her back.

When X looked to her eyes, he found them unsettlingly blank. Unlike a reploid during shutdown, her pupils were still visible. They were, however, a dull gray, and it conveyed a sense of emptiness that no reploid visage ever could. In the uncomfortable minutes of silence that followed, X took a seat at the foot of her table.

X was about to go looking for Genoscythe when a small view screen flickered to life on the side of the table. The words were, to X's surprise, in ancient Greek. Then, with a pop, two cables detached themselves from the woman's head and slithered into a compartment that almost seemed like a metal pillow.

X watched in amazement as color slowly filtered into her eyes, amazed because the color was Alia's own crystal blue. A moment later, her body shuddered and she inhaled sharply. Taking a slow, weak breath, she pushed herself upright and her eyes met X's.

"X...?" She gasped, and immediately snapped her mouth shut. The voice that had escaped her mouth was not her own.

"Alia, I don't know what happened to you, but..." he trailed off as she held up a hand, inspecting it with mortified curiosity. "Genoscythe had to put you in another body." Her face showed understanding, but her mouth remained shut; afraid of the voice that didn't belong to her. "It's only temporary," he said hastily. "I'll ask Genoscythe when he comes back, but I swear you'll be just like yourself again in no time."

Though Alia refused to speak, he could tell from her eyes that such was not the case.

**End of Chapter 32**


	34. Chapter 33: The Newborn

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 33: The Newborn

BGM: Van Halen – Top of the World

By Genoscythe

AN: Sorry Dragon man, a reploid can only be transferred, not copied. It was a good idea, though. Also, bonus points to Zero Asakura. Zero _does _still have the virus, so he can still interface with Elysium. Remember my hint about how the Master looks like Zero?

* * *

Stealth Claw sighed inwardly as Tempest broke into another maddened rant. Of the five mavericks that had made it aboard the life boat, he was the only one in the mood for talking. A better word would be shouting. 

"Why the _hell _didn't they listen to me?" Tempest spat, referring to the mysterious green-haired people that had rescued Sigma from the downed airship. "They didn't even look at me!" His rants were met with silence. He looked fiercely between Stealth Claw, Tread Havoc, and the two virus-controlled soldiers.

"This was a mistake. I sign on with you _defects _and I nearly get killed!" His reptilian head whipped around to face Havoc. "Isn't there _any _way I can get out of here?" Havoc shook his head. "Great. I don't have any business on Fantasy Island in the first place. I'm supposed to be back in the real world killing people."

"There will be plenty of killing to come," Havoc said, the first words spoken by anyone besides Tempest.

"There'd better be!" Tempest said with a shrill laugh. "I'll kill all of you if I have to."

"Without any arms?" Stealth Claw put in, tired of hearing Tempest complain. With a look of contempt, the hybrid reploid lashed out with his knee at the nearest maverick soldier. A blade that had been previously hidden by his cloak imbedded itself in the reploid's chest, who gave no more than a shuddering final breath.

With two quick swipes, the generic reploid's arms were cleaved off at the elbows. "Now..." Tempest turned to Claw. "Help me put one of those on, unless you want me to use yours instead."

* * *

X sat waiting on the edge of Alia's former bed. Before he could even begin looking for Genoscythe, she had gotten a transmission from him instructing her how to use the aesthetic modifier. With no more than a discreet glance at X, she opened a door in the corner and stepped into a small room that seemed almost like a triangular photo booth from the outside. 

Waiting for what felt like hours, X finally heard Alia's voice. It was her own again.

"X...?" She called, testing to make sure her voice sounded the same. "I need some clothes."

X looked about the room, and all he saw were rows of capsules containing unused bodies. "What's wrong? You didn't have any before."

"Well, I wasn't _me _before," Alia retorted, and some of the life in her seemed to have returned. "I don't suppose everything we packed was destroyed?"

"I can't imagine how anything could have survived."

"Then go find Genoscythe. He must know where to get some women's clothes."

"I'm sure..." X muttered. Aloud, he said, "Alright. Stay here."

The door opened a crack and Alia's hand appeared, motioning toward the door. "Then go! Shoo!"

X obliged, noting happily that her skin was now back to its original light hue. It seemed a bit darker than it used to, but X decided that it wouldn't be best to slight Alia's handiwork.

As the door slid open, X nearly ran into a man standing just outside the body storage room. After deftly stepping aside, the man looked X up and down with pale yellow eyes.

"Give this to the newborn," he said in a smooth voice, handing a tan dress to X.

"And you are...?" X queried, deciding it best to learn who his allies were.

"Purifier Lock," the Elysian replied. "You met my brother Trigger when you were on Terra?"

X thought it strange to refer to Earth as if they were no longer on it. "Yeah, unfortunately. You seem..."

"Different?" Lock cut him off. "We're a new generation of Purifiers, the first new androids made since we left the homeworld." The Purifier paced back and forth, his eyes alert and the muscles under his tunic taut. He wasn't the stiff, robotic creations X had seen thus far.

Lock turned to go, but X halted him. "How'd you know we needed clothes?"

The green-haired man paused a moment, as if deciding what to say. He finally settled on, "She's part of the collective now. We can feel her needs, and she can feel ours. Is it really so strange?"

X thought back to Genoscythe's earlier comment about ants in an anthill. "No...I guess not. Thanks." On cue, Lock resumed his trek down the corridor. X ducked through the portal again and slipped Alia's clothing under the doorway. Without a word, she changed and finally emerged from the small aesthetic modification room.

She was the same...and she was different. Her hair was blonde once again, shoulder length and lightly curled. Her body was thinner, her skin lighter. Even so, an unsettling quality hung over her, as if she were a slightly imperfect imitation of Alia. "Well? How do I look?" She asked, an underlying hint of desperation in her voice.

"You look...fine," he answered. "I told you everything would be back to normal."

Alia seemed to tense up. Her synthetic muscles tightened in a surprisingly realistic manner. "I'm not normal, X. This isn't a reploid's body. There's...something _inside _of me!"

X stepped forward in alarm. "What do you mean?"

She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her breast. Something beat rhythmically inside her, like a metronome.

"It's a heart," X deducted, astonished. She then guided his hand to her neck, where he felt a steady flow of liquid up and down the veins there. She pressed his hand deeper, and his fingers touched something cold, metallic.

"What am I?" She asked, her voice trembling. "I'm not human...I've figured that out by now. But I'm not a machine either."

_A paradise where humans and reploids co-exist..._ The words flashed through X's mind like a firebrand. _Could it be? _

Megaman X shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "I need to find Genoscythe. I – " He stopped, seeing the expectant look in her eyes. "_We'll _ask him about your new body." She smiled, satisfied. However, she refused to relinquish her hold on his hand as he made his way out of the room.

Their journey stopped short as soon as they were in the hallway. "I hope you know your way around this place better than I do," X muttered, looking up and down the corridor.

Alia's eyes fluttered and her body grew limp; X was afraid she would faint. Instead, she straightened again and pointed down the hall. "Keep going, I'll tell you when to stop." As they walked, X realized that they had never straightened out their problems from before the flight to Elysium. Steeling himself, he decided that he would never get a better chance.

---

"Alia, I know I made a mistake," he said, breaking the silence.

"About what?" She asked innocently. X was shocked; how could she forget about it so quickly?

"About everything. About us."

"Oh. _That_."

"I didn't think you would get mad at me, that night at the docks."

"Because I've always just smiled my way through it in the past, right?"

X cringed. He had rejected some of her more subtle advances, but both of them had pretended that none of it had happened. "I didn't know what to do. I asked Zero for advice."

Despite everything, a smile crept onto her face. "So I was right."

"Yeah," he said, grinning along with her. "The card and the chocolates were his idea, but I went ahead with it. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"X, if everyone thought clearly all the time, we wouldn't be _having _this problem. I don't hold it against you. Not anymore."

_Where'd all this wisdom come from? _He pondered, staring into her crystalline eyes. "Well, after you threw away my sad little apology, Mystic started hitting on me. It was impulsive, but maybe I just wanted someone to bounce back on."

"Hindsight's always twenty/twenty, huh?" Alia said, and X's eyes narrowed. That didn't sound like something Alia would say. It sounded more like...

"Genoscythe?" X asked sternly.

"He's been adding some commentary," Alia replied, giggling. She paused, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "He says you're doing great," she said at length, looking back at X.

"Tell him to get out of your head."

"We can't," Alia spoke, accompanied with a sigh. "Part of the collective, remember? I can feel their needs, and they can feel mine."

"Lock too?"

She paused, then answered "Yes."

"Alright," X said, stopping. "Tell _everyone _to leave us alone. This is between the two of us, not Genoscythe, not Lock, or anyone else that's listening in."

"Yuna," Alia added with a grin.

"Who?"

"Nobody." Alia's eyes went blank for a moment, but they soon regained their focus. "They're gone. What were you saying?"

"I was saying that I screwed up, and I've been unfair to you since the day we met. I never tried to hurt you purposefully, and I'll do anything I can to make it up to you."

"And?" Alia asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"And I love you."

Her arms swung around his neck, and she pulled herself toward him. "I've been waiting a _long _time to hear those three words from you, Megaman X." He could feel her breath on his face, hot and moist. It was a completely new experience, being so close to a woman like this. She emitted a kind of warmth and comfort that only an organic body could provide, but she was backed by the fortitude of a machine. Once again, X was reminded of human and reploid elements co-existing. _The perfect being. A true paradise._

X's thoughts melted at the touch of her lips, and he stowed away his ideas for a more convenient time.

* * *

Sigma's eyes flickered to life, and he immediately cast them about his new surroundings. The room was dark, nearly devoid of light. The walls themselves were made of a dark gray material, etched with millions of tiny lines reminiscent of a computer chip. All along the walls and ceiling, red orbs watched him intensely. 

Somehow, the room gave off the feeling of being high in the air, and Sigma had no doubt that he was inside the tower he had glimpsed from their falling airship.

_You belong to us now,_ A voice in the darkness said, its low rumble shaking the room itself. Sigma got to his feet.

"Are you with the Alphas?" He asked, looking about for the source of the voice.

A roar, almost like the sounding of a massive horn, reverberated off the walls. _I am _the _Alpha. I am Eden._ Finally able to pinpoint the location of the speaker, Sigma turned his head and amplified the light in the room. What he saw shocked and enraged him.

Against the far wall, surrounded by a coiling mass of wires and cables, something stirred. It was withered, a corpse. Even so, its eyes shone with an ethereal light. What was worse, it was human.

"What?" Sigma barked, unable to believe it. "You! You're a human!" He advanced slowly on the man, who was pinned to the wall under cables three meters thick.

_Keep your distance, Sigma, _the echoing voice cautioned. _I am surrounded by a protective field, and it will make short work of you._

"Liar," Sigma spat. "You're not Eden. You can't be."

_But I am. Is that not enough evidence for you?_

"I'm not going to serve a human," he growled.

_Stop dishonoring me. I am no more human than the androids who tend to the flock._

Sigma glared at the man. "I know human when I smell it."

_Is it really so difficult to bow to an organic life-form?_

"Yes!" He roared. "Like bowing to a child!"

_Quit the bravado. You are terrified of me._

At this, Sigma let out a disbelieving laugh. "You're joking, right? I have nothing to fear from you. _Nothing_."

Eden let out what could be passed for a sigh. _There are more important matters at hand. You have been given a purpose, and I expect you to carry it out._

"Bring me Juno. I might listen to him."

_Doubtful, in your current condition,_ Eden spoke. _You are still recovering from the loss of your lieutenants?_

At this, Sigma started. "What'd you do to them?"

_Absolutely nothing. We rescued you from the wreckage, and no more._

"Why not?" Sigma growled.

_They are unnecessary. We only need you._

"But _I_ need _them_! Why don't I have a say in this anymore?"

_You are a pawn, as you always have been. You were our first attempt at purging the humans, less pragmatic but better for the environment. Now, you are the key to unlocking our salvation. I know you are up to this task, Sigma. I only require your strength, of which you have plenty._

Sigma grunted, sitting back and resting his massive arms on the ground. "Pretty words. That's the best a human can do..."

* * *

Marx and Nephtis had volunteered to sift through the wreckage of the plane, looking for any baggage left intact. Surprisingly enough, several bags of personal belongings and a crate of ammunition survived the crash due to the protection radius of Darius's hat. The metool strutted about through the rubble, as if knowing he had done a great deed. 

Nephtis tossed him the last bag, and she gave him a shrug. "Of course..." She began.

"...my stuff didn't make it," Marx finished for her. "I figured as much."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll manage," she said, stepping over the debris and brushing up beside him.

"And why not?" He put an arm around her waist. "I've got everything I need right..." he paused looking her up and down. Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed Darius by the hat and pulled him up to a visible height. "...here," he finished smugly, focusing now on Darius.

She slapped him playfully. "Keep it up and I might just forget about what happened on the plane."

His proverbial heart danced at the mere memory. "Anything but that," he chided. The two of them picked up as many bags as they could carry, but they stopped short as they turned around. An Elysian stood before them, having appeared seemingly from nowhere. His joints were oddly stiff, his eyes somewhat vacant.

"Who the hell are you?" Marx queried, dropping one of his bags and reaching for his assault rifle.

"I am Purifier Alpha," the dark-skinned man told them. "I was sent to help you two."

Marx raised an eyebrow. "Alpha of the Omegas? Damn, this is gonna get confusing." Alpha didn't seem to comprehend. "What's with all the Greek crap?"

"What makes you think the Greeks invented it?" Alpha asked, grabbing Marx's dropped bag without hesitation.

"You know, I could make a pretty bad pun about Greek right now..." Nephtis said slyly.

"Thanks for not making it."

**End of Chapter 33**

AN: Yay for erratic updates!


	35. Chapter 34: First Move

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 34: First Move

By Genoscythe

The last thing Sigma expected to hear was the voice of Tread Havoc crackling through his comm. link.

_"Commander? Where are you?"_

Sigma turned a sour glance at Eden. "I'm with the old man."

_"Guard your tongue against the Progenitor, Sigma. He is the last surviving member of the Creators."_

Deciding that a change of subject was needed, Sigma asked "How did you survive the crash?"

_"Stealth Claw guided us to the life boats. We've almost made it ashore."_

Sigma smiled. Stealth Claw was quickly gaining his favor since his daring assault on Cain Laboratories. He told himself to personally congratulate the soldier if they ever met again. "I think I'm in the large tower. Come to me immediately."

_"Affirmative."_

Sigma was confident that Havoc could find his way, knowing that the reploid was inhabited by an Elysian's mind. However, this train of thought brought a new question with it. He turned back to Eden.

"Havoc told me he's part of Elysium. Why'd you leave him behind?"

_Purifier Omikron is expendable. His body is inferior, and his functions are nonessential. We could not carry both of you, so you were the obvious choice._

"Why? What do you need me for?"

The familiar rumble, which Sigma decided was a laugh, echoed around the room. _When Zero blessed you with the Maverick Virus, he also transferred his Elysium Interface program. We need you to replace the Master, the rogue element in our system._

"And...how would I do that?"

_First, the original Master must be disposed of. He has blocked himself and his supporters from the rest of the collective, so we will need to locate him. After we have found and eliminated him, you will transfer your consciousness into his body. After that, you will surrender control to me._

Sigma's eyes narrowed; he didn't like surrendering, and he _definitely _didn't like being controlled. "And you'll do just as Juno promised?"

_Yes. The Carbon Reinitialization Program will be activated, and the Earth will be purged._

"I've been thinking," Sigma said, although he was still having trouble being on equal ground with an organic life-form. "Why rebuild the humans at all? Won't we just keep repeating this process over and over again?"

_The entire purpose of Earth is to breed humans. It would go against our mission._

"We should leave that sad little planet's wildlife alone. They were there before any of us."

_That is not our concern. Remember, we are activating the Carbon Reinitialization Program because we are trying to _save _humanity, not destroy it._

"But...if you have so much power, why can't you just _make _a planet for them, one where they can't hurt anything but themselves?"

_Do not think that humanity can survive without the Earth to support it. Without animals, where would they get food? Without trees, where would they find shelter? Life revolves in a circle, Sigma._

"Not for humanity," Sigma growled. "They give nothing...and they take everything."

_Have faith. They will see the error of their ways one day._

"After how many die?"

_None too many. The price will be worth the end result._

"So you say."

Eden fell silent, its deep rumble leaving traces of vibrations in the air. Finally, Sigma turned around. "I can't stand the sight of you anymore; I'm leaving."

_And where will you go?_

"Anywhere but here."

* * *

Pyre Mystic was just dozing off when the door slid open. She glanced toward it, expecting the tall silhouette of the green-haired man. Instead, the doorway was empty. Getting to her feet, Mystic lit a flame in her palm to illuminate the room with. It was empty, save for her two one-eyed bodyguards. 

A cold tendril of doubt snaked its way through Mystic's mind. _Who could it be? Why'd they run?_ For a split second, she saw a ripple in the air behind her mechanical captors. Unconsciously, she backed away from them. The machines – Reaverbots, the man had called them – looked on in oblivion.

Not knowing why, Mystic clenched her fist and extinguished the flame in her hand. She prayed that whatever had snuck into her room couldn't see in the dark. However, her faint hopes were dashed as a Reaverbot erupted in sparks and keeled over. Mystic screamed, and the shadow standing atop the Reaverbot leapt onto the second. With three quick stabs, the Reaverbot fell and she was alone against the invisible assailant.

Impossibly strong hands clenched her shoulders and forced her against the wall. "Tell me something before I kill you," A disembodied voice hissed. Mystic instantly recognized it.

"Endymion...?"

"Shut up, bitch. Where's the cat?"

Mystic gritted her teeth. Endymion knew about her, but Stealth Claw was the one he really wanted. Well, he wouldn't have him.

"How would I know?" Mystic replied bravely. At that, Endymion disengaged his cloaking field and melted into existence not a hairs breadth away from her. Up close, his scars seemed even more ferocious than before. Releasing one of her shoulders, he raised a hand before her face. She jumped in surprise as a blade snapped forth from his forearm, wavering dangerously close to her forehead.

"Where's the cat?" Endymion repeated.

"He's here," Mystic blurted, losing her nerve at the sight of the blade. "Right here."

"_Where _here?"

"I don't know! Honestly!" Before Endymion could respond, he was knocked aside by a flash of light. Mystic looked to the source, and found Megaman X advancing through the doorway with Alia at his heels. She was wearing an exotic tan dress and her gait was uncertain, but it was definitely the same reploid that had piloted the Ride Armor during the hunters' attack.

X grabbed the fallen Maverick Hunter by the neck and hoisted him into the air. "Endymion..." X growled, his voice a low rumble. "I want an explanation."

"You already got my explanation," Endymion spat back.

"What are you doing here?" X specified.

"I'm hunting the cat."

X's eyes narrowed. "How do you know he's here?"

"He follows Sigma. He must be here."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then I'll start killing until I find him."

"That sounds an awful lot like maverick talk, Endy."

Endymion let out a choked laugh. "Maverick? _Me_? X, I'm trying to _kill _a maverick, not become one."

"Then explain what's happened to you."

Endymion laughed again, even more strained. "I'm just following orders. Doing what I was told. The doctors want me to kill mavericks, and that's what I'm doing."

"You're obsessing over one maverick. That can't be part of your programming."

"He got away," Endymion said, changing the subject. "They're not supposed to get away."

"If I set you down, will you disarm and come with me?"

"I won't put you above my mission, X."

"Do it, Endy."

"Kill me instead."

"Do it."

"Kill me!" With a look of disgust, X threw Endymion into the wall. The silver hunter collided with a bang, denting the wall and slumping to the floor. Behind him, X could hear Alia's faint sobbing. "I'm a slave to my mission, X..." Endymion murmured, crumpled against the wall. "You should have killed me. It would have been easier on all of us."

Without another word, X turned around and, motioning for Mystic to follow him, strode out of the room and had Alia lock the door behind them.

"Tell them not to open that door until I say so," X said, looking to Alia. Her eyes unfocused, and a moment later she returned.

"You can't tell us what doors we can open," she said, speaking for whomever had responded first. X had gotten used to using Alia as a medium for his conversations with the Elysians.

"He's a reploid, and he's my concern."

"Your entire world is _my_ concern, X."

"Then maybe you should leave the little details to your pawns, like you always do," X spoke harshly. It was difficult to talk so coldly to Alia, but he reminded himself that it wasn't Alia the words were meant for.

"Alright, X. You win," Alia replied. She hesitated before speaking again. When she finally did, it was with difficulty. "Just remember your place in all of this. You...are ours."

* * *

Every time Marx tried to speak, the words lodged somewhere in his throat. The news he had to give simply wouldn't be told. Zero, Axl, and Selene were huddled around Marx and Nephtis, who sat atop the pile of equipment they had managed to save. They were immensely relieved that X wasn't there, but it hardly made their story any easier to explain. 

"Well, this is fascinating," Zero said dryly. "But aren't you supposed to be talking right now?"

That was it. Marx swallowed his revulsion and began to speak. "When we were leaving the crash site...we found Alia."

"What's left of her," Nephtis added quietly. An unbearable silence settled over the courtyard as everyone digested their words.

"She had...a piece of the cockpit stuck through her," Marx continued. "She'd been leaking fuel. I think she's been dead for at least a day."

"Way to lay it on them softly," Nephtis muttered in his ear. Marx didn't respond. Zero had turned away, and was now pacing back and forth across the immaculate grass. Selene and Axl were both shocked into silence, staring wide-eyed at Marx and Nephtis.

"On that happy note," Nephtis began, getting to her feet and pulling out one of the salvaged bags. "This is all we found in the wreck. I have a bag for Zero, Axl, X, and...Alia." Looking upon Alia's bag finally cast Selene into a fit of tears. Axl was still too inert to comfort her.

"And..." Nephtis now turned around to face the shadow looming behind them. "Alpha's gonna show us where we can set up camp."

"Why not here?" Zero asked, still looking away.

"The Alphas will find you here," the Purifier stated.

"Didn't you just say you're –"

"Don't ask, you'll just get confused," Nephtis cut him off.

"Follow me, we have secured an area for the seven of you."

"Seven?" Zero asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

"Yes. There were seven reploids on the plane, correct?"

"Yeah, but one of 'em died, right?" Zero seemed to be trying to pry an answer from the Purifier.

"Oh," Alpha simply stated. "Then the six of you will be staying in the secured area."

Zero's hopes fell, and Selene began a fresh wave of tears.

Fifteen minutes later, the five reploids and their chauffer entered a room that was shockingly different from all the others they had encountered thus far. On the right wall, four large video screens hung suspended in the air. On the other side of the room, computer consoles lined the edge of a raised platform, with another video screen above. Four Reaverbots stood guard on each side of the two entrances.

"This room will allow you to detect anybody in the nearby hallways, as well as monitor various other sections of the facility," Alpha explained. Four figures could be seen atop the command platform, and they became more defined as the group neared them. One was X, across from him stood Genoscythe, to his left sat Mystic on the edge of a computer console.

On his right stood Alia.

Selene burst past them, running up the steps to the command platform and grappling Alia in what could pass for a wrestling move. Everyone else stayed rooted in place, the shock of both losing and finding Alia together was too much for them.

"Hey!" X called out in greeting, sliding down the edge of a console to stand before their group. He seemed as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he wasn't yet used to normal gravity. "Relax. Make yourselves at home."

Axl raised a questioning finger at Alia, who was trying to pry Selene free. "Why is she being all..._not _dead?"

X chuckled, and briefly summarized how the Omegas had transferred her processor into a secondary android body. When he was finished, nobody spoke. "What'd you get from the crash?" X asked, oblivious to their shock. "Just set everything against the back wall," he continued, without waiting for an answer. "Genoscythe has a job for us."

"What kind of job?" Zero asked, always the first to recover.

"The kind we do best."

**End of chapter 34**

AN: It's too bad, I could've gotten this chapter out a long time ago. Several things, including but not limited to my computer being totally wiped, stalled the writing process. When I finally got back to work (about a month later), all I did was add half a page. Oh well, I'm still pleased with how things are going. The end is coming, but not for at least another ten chapters.


	36. Chapter 35: The Fall

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 35: The Fall

BGM: Tesla – Only You

By Genoscythe

AN: Sorry Zero Asakura, I can tell you right now without spoiling any plot that Zero will not be taking over Elysium. There would be panic in the streets on Earth. Everyone would be subliminally forced to wear their hair in ponytails. Nations would abandon firearms and replace them with swords and bloodlust. All men would have to be undeservingly cocky and pumped full of attitude, while all the women would have to take habitual trips into space to keep their lord and master company. Ruling every aspect of a planet and its extremely fickle society can get very lonely sometimes.

* * *

For a number of very sound, easily justifiable reasons, Marx was nervous. First and foremost, he had left his assault rifle back at the command center at Genoscythe's request. 

"I'll be honest, that thing's gonna be a burden and a distraction – but it won't kill you any Reaverbots." His words exactly. Genoscythe was probably right, but it felt like he was going into this unarmed (which he wasn't), and that never felt good. His shoulder cannons were deemed useful by the Almighty, and although it made him nervous to depend on his Plan-B weapons, it was all he had.

That, and Nephtis.

She promised to keep an eye on him, no matter how he persisted that that was the _man's _job. She now walked in front of him, staff dangling at her side. He would never admit it, but he was glad she was in front.

"What's the first thing you want to do when you get home?" She called back, half her face visible over her shoulder.

"There's a really good chance we won't _make it _home," Marx reminded.

"When someone asks a question…" Nephtis began, slowing down to his pace and pulling her lips next to his ear. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "They expect a goddamn answer, not an excuse."

Marx was willing to play this game. God knows his chances at spending any amount of time with Nephtis were dwindling when they began this march to death. "First thing I'd want to do, huh? Well, the _first _thing I'd do is find a way to fit 'we' into that sentence. Then I'd look through the list of things _we_ can do…"

"Marx!" Nephtis knew where this was headed.

"…and find something cute, platonic, and intellectually stimulating for us." Marx wisely changed course. "Like a walk in the park. During sunset. With flowers blooming and singing birds flying around our heads."

She gave him a sultry stare. "Why do you automatically think that anything I would want to do that's not related to sex is doomed to be boring?"

"Is this a rhetorical question?"

"Not anymore." They continued on in this vein, desperately trying to keep the approaching objective out of their minds.

Their first priority in this first operation was, firstly, to reach Elysium's engines. X had told them that in order to fire off the Carbon Re-initialization Program, Elysium had to be in orbit. This was why Elysium existed as an island in the middle of the Pacific: the Omegas destroyed the engines as a failsafe in case the Alphas took control of the Master's systems.

The Maverick Hunters' job was to keep the engines from being fixed. Marx didn't think this should be terribly hard, because it takes time to fix _anything._

If the Alphas could get a hold of the engine room's security system, they would have all the time in the world.

The Omegas currently held control of the security system, but their Reaverbot army numbered in the hundreds, and the Alphas' measured in thousands.

The Alphas would most likely break through with sheer numbers.

The Omegas hoped Sigma would be among them, and if so, then it would fall upon the Maverick Hunters to destroy him.

Sigma was likely _not _going to be there. He was likely going to be somewhere very safe and very secret, much like the Master.

In other words, this entire battle was a well-calculated failure from the beginning.

* * *

"I hate this place. Everything looks the same," were Zero's famous last words before they descended into the engine room. It wouldn't be appropriate to say that they went _into _the engine room, because they were still walking through a hallway. The only difference was that this hallway had three walls, and it wrapped around a massive ovoid hollow, which itself held three gargantuan spheres bursting with wires and thicker cables. The spheres, the engines, stretched on beyond the darkness below, and looking down over the side of the walkway made Marx a bit dizzy. 

Suddenly, the figure clad in navy blue armor jerked to a halt at the front of their group. It was the Commander, and he was receiving a signal from the Elysium mainframe.

"They got it already," Genoscythe growled, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet.

"Got what?" X asked.

"The security system! Go!" Genoscythe began to run back through the crowd of Maverick Hunters and Lock, but he stopped short. His fiery red gaze went soaring over Marx's shoulder, so the hunter turned around. Several panels on the wall were flipping around, and Reaverbots were coming out of them. They were obviously not friendly Reaverbots.

All along the wall, panels began to move aside and Reaverbots were marching through. Luckily for Marx, he was outside the thick of it. Unluckily, one of them had its eye on him.

He managed to dodge one thin-beamed laser, but the Reaverbot didn't get a second chance. Nephtis ran by, slashing it with her staff as she went. It turned its attention to her, who had just rounded a corner and began leading it up the way they had come from. Above Marx's head, an automatic gun turret buzzed to life. As if he didn't already have enough incentive to leave.

He barreled after Nephtis and the Reaverbot, and found them squaring off in the midst of the hallway they had started their descent in. They were too close to the yawning maw of the engine room for Marx's taste.

Having a clear shot at the war machine's back, Marx activated his shoulder cannons. However, when Nephtis noticed him, she vaulted over the Reaverbot and came to stand in a combat stance before him.

"Thanks for bringing his attention to _me_," Marx snapped dryly.

"If we live together, we die together," Nephtis shot back. "But if we play this right, we won't have to die at all." She briefly relayed her idea to him while the Reaverbot hunkered down behind its shield. _X is right, these things _are _stupid…_Marx mused. _They don't know a freakin' threat when they see one._

To get its attention, Nephtis began charging at it. When it seemed as if she would collide with the Reaverbot's shield, it swung away and the machine's buster replaced it. Nephtis batted it aside just as a piercing beam of light leapt from the barrel. In the same stride, she buried her staff into the side of its column-shaped head.

Nephtis dislodged her weapon by pushing off the Reaverbot, executing a beautiful backflip that only a highly-specialized war machine could perform. Below her, a pair of bolts from Marx's shoulder cannons sailed by and crashed into the Reaverbot's buster arm.

Its arm removed, a deep gash in the side of its body, the Reaverbot seemed to be on its last leg. Nephtis rushed in to finish it off, but it made an unexpected burst of speed. As Marx discovered belatedly, Reaverbots had feet designed to skid along the ground. It crashed into Nephtis, the weight of its shield throwing her almost perfectly into Marx's arms.

As it is so often described in books, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Marx could feel in the depths of his soul that something tremendous was about to happen, bearing down on him and his love with a force powered by the gears of fate.

This force punctured Marx's chest in two places, and from there buried itself in Nephtis's back. The automatic turret had picked out their sudden movements and spared two energy bolts, before returning to its primary targets down the hallway.

---

Marx couldn't believe it. His limbs were already turning leaden, his arms grinding against the warped metal inside his chest, but he refused to accept the realization that the rest of his body had already made. He was finished. Two holes, each the size of a reploid's fist, on either side of his reactor. There was no surviving a wound like that. His shock was so great that he forgot about Nephtis for the moment, who remained slumped in his arms.

Just when Marx felt like he would pull himself back from the proverbial edge, Fate dealt him another bad hand. The Reaverbot charged again, only this time it had angled itself sideways. Marx didn't have the power to try and stop it as the machine flung them off the literal edge. Equal amounts of cables, wires, and darkness fell away from his grasping fingers, plummeting in a near-freefall state.

Marx was suddenly stopped by a cable hooked under his right armpit. The sudden halt almost jostled Nephtis out of his stiff fingers, but he held onto her tighter than he did the cable. After all, there would be no point in trying to save himself if she fell. Though, he feared, it was already too late for that to matter.

He slid along the cable, which sloped down like a zip-line. More than once, he felt his arm slipping and a wave of static assaulted his vision. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to either Nephtis or the cable, which more or less goes without saying. The worst of it was, he could have held the cable without Nephtis to worry about, and likewise he would have had no difficulty clutching his love in their descent without a cable to occupy one arm.

The cable ended above a ledge, which Marx narrowly swung them both onto. Lying on the floor, lacking the strength to stand, he looked over Nephtis. She wasn't speaking or moving, and the two scorch marks in her back were leaking both blood and a yellow, almost ethereal substance that constituted a reploid's reactor fuel.

The energy beams must have been fired at an angle; just missing Marx's reactor but converging directly on Nephtis's. Once again, Marx refused to believe this. He threw himself into a standing position, grabbing her and loading her onto his shoulders. Without powering himself so much as swinging his legs forward, he hobbled away from the ledge and down the corridor ahead.

Marx didn't get far, for he soon decided that he had stumbled upon a labyrinth. What was more, he had gathered an entourage of tiny Reaverbots – almost entirely composed of an eye and eight hooked legs. They came out of panels much like the larger combat Reaverbots, and seemed to be like vultures waiting for their starving prey to collapse.

This is what Marx inevitably did. Nephtis rolled off his shoulders, and the miniature Reaverbots began tugging it away immediately. On his knees, Marx swiped at them, tried to yell but found his voice box completely unusable. One by one, his non-essential life systems were shutting down. Now the little bastards were coming for _him_.

He succeeded in smashing one with his fist, but the blow was powered almost entirely by gravity and inertia. All references to a lack of strength before were now moot – he literally had _no _power left. From his kneeling position, he slumped heavily to the dull gray floor. All that remained was the power in his main processor, which could still run for three days assuming the Reaverbots wouldn't pick apart his brain.

Again, this point turned out to be moot. He couldn't even feel as the salvage machines – or whatever the hell they were – began dragging him away.

* * *

X gladly took the bit of respite offered by Genoscythe. All the nearby security systems were totaled, thanks to the efforts of X and an enraged Zero, and to a lesser degree the efforts of everyone else. Two enemy Purifiers were scattered in pieces at his feet – both dismantled by Zero. The crimson hunter was furious about something, but he wasn't yet rational enough to say what. 

"We're wasting our time here," Genoscythe informed X. "If I had known they'd get the security system up so fast, we wouldn't have even tried this."

"But we destroyed two of their Purifiers," X pointed out. "That counts for something, doesn't it?"

"They'll just replace those two," Genoscythe replied bitterly. "Pi and Rho were nonessentials. Eden probably won't bother saving their personalities. We have archives of blank templates for that." As they spoke, X began to notice several spider-like machines skittering across the wreckage. They seemed intent on reaching the remains of the two Purifiers.

"What are those?"

"Salvage Reaverbots. They'll take Pi and Rho's processors back to one of those stations you found Alia at."

"…and put them in new bodies," X deducted, smashing a salvage machine with his boot. "Let's leave them with nothing to salvage, then." X proceeded to blast the Purifiers' heads into fine metallic powder. The Reaverbots immediately lost interest, and began digging through the armor on their larger cousins. They were soon found hauling beautiful, luminescent crystals of various sizes out of the destroyed Reaverbots. "And the crystals?" X plausibly asked.

"These…" Genoscythe began, reaching down and plucking a small blue gem from one of the salvage machines. "These will become mankind's greatest invention. Carbon refractors. Within ten years, we planned for humanity to be producing them on their own." Genoscythe's voice lowered suddenly. "Ironically, these things would solve most of the problems that Eden thinks can only corrected one way." He made explosion sound effects and hand gestures for emphasis.

"So they do…what?"

"Refractors are really just amazingly efficient power sources. Solve all kinds of things, like that fossil fuel crisis of yours. They can even be used in food production, to some degree."

"Amazing…could I bring one back home with me?"

"First off, you're not _going _back home. Second, no you cannot bring one back home. The apes have to learn to walk like men. Giving them one of these in this stage of their development would be like handing an Enigma-class cannon to the United States government, circa 1942. How would the remains of Hiroshima compare to the liquidation of the whole damn continent?"

"Okay…I understand," X replied, and he really did. For reasons unknown even to him, as a tiny Reaverbot scuttled by, he snatched the refractor out of its claws and slipped it into his utility belt.

**End of Chapter 35**

AN: I would like everyone to hold their flames until the end of the story (by flames I'm referring to Nephtis and/or Marx flames specifically; I'm still cool with the others). There _is _a good reason for what I've done to them, and it's absolutely necessary for the story. If you're really keen or you can read my mind, you might already know why that is. Sorry that this took so long, but this is one of those chapters that I had to do just so.


	37. Chapter 36: Powers that Be

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 36: Powers that Be

By Genoscythe

AN: Never fear, Elysium Rising won't stop here. It's been awhile, and I can feel myself being drawn more and more into comedy, but this monster gets finished! I swear, you will never have to give up hope so long as the neighbors across the way keep staying up untill one-o-friggin'-clock in the morning playing basketball and generally making enough noise to keep me awake and, thus, writing.

* * *

X was hoping for some time alone with Alia, as much to console her about Marx and Nephtis's deaths as to get other 'business' done. The other 'business' did not require the presence of Zero, nor could it proceed with him in the vicinity. So, when the blonde reploid pulled up beside them, X affixed him with a withering stare. 

Zero stared back in a way that made X feel physically beaten.

"We can't let this keep happening," Zero remarked.

"That's a good idea," X said dryly.

"We gotta find a way out of this place."

"What? You just want to run away? _You_?"

"Damn it, not us! I _know_ we have to stay. I'm talking about Selene, and Axl, and…Alia."

"I'm fine," Alia asserted between sobs.

"And Mystic," X added. Both Alia and Zero glared at him, for essentially the same reason.

"_I'll _worry about Mystic," Zero said. In the time between discovering Mystic and leaving for their first mission, X had told them all about the incident with Endymion and his prey. Mystic was presumed to be waiting at the command center for their return, but X's intuition told him that she wouldn't stick around with Endymion nearby.

It was the same gut feeling that told him Endymion had escaped.

"I think I should be going," Alia muttered, breaking away from X and turning on her heels. As she receded down the corridor, X leaned closer to Zero.

"That was supposed to be your line," he whispered threateningly.

"Important business, X. Alia comes second to the mission."

"So, what do you _really _want?"

Zero leaned in even closer, a difficult feat to accomplish. "I want to see the Master."

X elevated an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I want to know who's running this show!" Zero cried, pulling back to avoid blowing out X's audio receptors. "And I want to know if there's a way off the island."

"You can ask Genoscythe for that."

"Genoscythe pisses me off. I want the big cheese."

"Well, we're never going to find him here, not without help. If the _Alphas _can't find him, then what chance do we have?"

"I was kinda hoping the prick'd come to us."

"I think the Master has bigger things to worry about."

"Bigger than me?"

Instead of a verbal reply, X simply glared. The two Maverick Hunters spent a great deal of time wandering the corridors of Elysium, hoping to run across one of the Omegas. After ages of walking, one of the androids apparently took pity on them and materialized out of a doorway before them. It was a woman, similar to Mistress Kira, but with shorter hair and burgundy eyes.

"Hi! Mistress Yuna," she blurted, immediately reminding X of a bubbly saleswoman. "I mediate between our subjects and our less…eloquent units. You could call me Elysium's PR Manager."

It was delivered as a joke, but neither Maverick Hunter laughed.

"I overheard that you want to see the Master," Yuna remarked, as if their topic were the day's weather.

"Of course. You can hear everything, can't you?"

Yuna pursed her lips into what was nearly a smile. "If only."

"Well, can you take us there?" X asked, attempting as usual to be more polite than Zero.

"I can't help but think that would be a _major _and _unnecessary _breach in security. With Sigma here, exposing the Master could ruin everything."

"I don't think so," Zero countered, and both Yuna and X turned to him. "Genoscythe said I can still take over the Master's job. If Sigma _does _find and kill him, I wanna be able to interface with Elysium before he can."

"What are you saying?" Yuna asked.

"I'm saying right now, just hiding the Master isn't enough. If I'm with him, not only can I protect him, but I can jump in and keep Sigma from overrunning the system if, somehow, the Master gets wasted."

"Zero, we need you out here," said X.

"That's untrue. Reploids were built, as a safety procedure, to be inferior to both Reaverbot and Elysian alike. There's not much you can really do to help fight," Yuna interrupted unnecessarily.

"So when he killed those two Purifiers, that doesn't count," X intoned dryly.

"They will be replaced."

"Then why fight at all?"

"Because it's the only way we can keep from being overrun. In this task, we really don't need any of you."

"But…Zero, we need you for emotional support, if nothing else."

"I know, but Yuna already said there's nothing I can do. This way, there _is_." He looked to Mistress Yuna for confirmation.

"Well…" she began reluctantly. "You make a good point, and now that you've mentioned it, I'm surprised we overlooked this in our plans. I'll take you to the Master, but the two of you have to shut down first. I'll reactivate you when we get there."

X was skeptical. "You can _carry_ both of us?"

Yuna just smiled in response.

* * *

"_What's the word, Claw?"_ Tempest's voice rumbled through the airwaves. Stealth Claw, however, was in no position to respond. Sticking from the ceiling, invisible only because the army of little one-eyed trashcan robots below weren't looking up, feeling himself slipping from the uncooperative surface every moment gone by, Claw couldn't have replied if he wanted to. 

Which, for the record, he didn't.

"_Is it safe? You can give me a yes or a no, you son of a bitch."_

Stealth Claw hadn't spent much time around Tempest at Maverick HQ, but their endless trip on the emergency lifeboats was enough to fill him in on what he had missed. At some times wild and furious, other times just cool and spiteful, Tempest was always homicidal. Just for kicks, he had killed the remaining soldier, and once tried to snap off Tread Havoc's neck. Apart from failing, Tempest almost got his head blown off.

Stealth Claw was beginning to develop a hate for Tempest. Like himself, Tempest wasn't a virus carrier. Unlike himself, Tempest was only with the mavericks because they provided him a venue for more mindless killing. So it was obvious why Claw didn't want to answer the comm. link, even if he weren't about to fall into an orgy of hostile robots that could see through his cloaking shield.

He knew this because he had been attacked once already in his infiltration of Elysium, and not only did he find his cloaking shield lacking, but that these robots were some of the toughest he'd ever seen. Tread Havoc and Tempest had sent him out for reconnaissance several hours ago, and they were now waiting on Elysium's artificial shore for a report that they weren't going to get unless the seemingly endless stream of robots below would magically disappear.

* * *

Crouched at the entrance to a small cylindrical building, Tread Havoc didn't seem to be in the mood for talking. This was expected, and so Tempest ignored it. 

"What were you saying to that little robot dude?" He asked, pacing the eerie, lush field that abruptly terminated into the Pacific Ocean.

"I was indentifying myself," Havoc surprisingly replied.

"So you said 'hey, how's it going, can you kill my two friends here?' Since, y'know, that's what almost happened."

"The Reaverbots didn't recognize you," he explained.

"But they know exactly who _you_ are."

"Correct."

"Is there something I don't know, or is this supposed to not make sense?"

"Tread Havoc's body is being controlled by me."

"You. Who's you?"

"I am Purifier Omikron. I am a nonessential unit, so my access is limited. I can't change your status with the Reaverbots."

"And that's why you sent Claw out to find a safe route for us."

"Correct."

"Why don't you just go and find someone _else_ to change our status?"

"That could take a long time. My connection to Elysium's network was severed when I took this inferior body, so I don't know where anyone is."

"It's still better than waiting here!" Tempest argued.

Tread Havoc sighed. "If you're willing to wait, I can search for one of the Alphas for you."

"That'd be lovely."

"_Hey…Tempest?" _Stealth Claw came in over the comm. link. "_There's some guy here to see you. He's turned off the Reaverbots."_

"Hear that?" Tempest asked his reluctant partner.

"Claw just told me, yes," Havoc answered. Guided by the youthful voice in their heads, the two mavericks entered the archaic-looking elevator shaft and descended into the bowels of Elysium. They shortly found themselves at the end of a granite-silver hallway filled with Reaverbots.

Havoc pushed Tempest out of the way and walked ahead. Before him, the Reaverbots parted like water to reveal Stealth Claw crouched in a small circular clearing. Standing silently next to him was a familiar long-haired figure. Havoc couldn't suppress a smile.

"It's been awhile, Upsilon…" Havoc murmured.

"Too long. You've already forgotten your way around?"

"Earth hasn't been kind to me or my host."

"You make it sound like you're a _guest_! Like I _invited _you!" Tread Havoc suddenly barked, dropping to the ground.

"Not this shit again…" Tempest groaned, drifting up next to Stealth Claw. Fortunately, this time it didn't take long to get the old Havoc under control again.

"What was _that_?" Upsilon queried, burgundy eyes flashing.

"This body's original intelligence is strong…like you cannot imagine."

"He must be," the purifier scoffed, apparently not convinced. He gestured down the hall, and the Reaverbots parted accordingly. "You all should come with me. I've finished my sweep, and I'm returning to the tower. Certainly the presence of some of his comrades will keep Sigma in line."

Tread Havoc stumbled forward, clutching the side of his head desperately.

"I _do _hate what we have to do to these people…" Upsilon added. "Know this isn't the way we wanted it, reploid."

"He can't hear you," Havoc assured them. "I've crushed him for now, but he's a ghost in my systems. I'll never get rid of him completely."

Stealth Claw was rapidly losing interest in the conversation as it turned into Elysium jargon, but the only alternative was talking to Tempest.

That, he was never willing to do.

* * *

X awoke with an unkind jolt, finding himself sprawled on the floor. He sat up and noticed Zero next to him, already on his feet. A vague sensation behind him said Yuna was at their backs. 

"This entire area is a blind spot in Eden's systems," Yuna explained as X got up. Rather than paying attention to her, he was focused singularly on the oval door in front of them – at least, it seemed like a door. Jutting from the wall, a crack running down the middle, it looked remarkably like a vault. "The Master is…he's not well. The moment I open these doors, I expect you to be ready, Zero. I also expect you to know…once the doors are closed I won't open them again. But, if you want to help like you say you do, then that shouldn't be a problem."

Zero said nothing, but his body language spoke volumes to X. He exuded the kind of aura usually felt when he was lapsing into one of his viral episodes, but he seemed utterly controlled.

"Zero?"

"Open the damn vault."

"You're ready?"

"Open it."

X laid a hand on his partner's shoulder. Had the crimson reploid really forgotten about him? "Zero, what about me? Do I get a goodbye?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied half-heartedly. Yuna's eyes fluttered, a bit longer than expected, and as soon as she returned she prodded Zero along.

"Go!" The doors split open, snapping off a quick hiss of steam. Then, surprisingly, the sphere opened like a fluttering eyelid and exposed a startling orange light. Without pause, without a drop of hesitation, Zero rushed forward and into the hazy illumination. Mesmerized by the soothing glow of what appeared to be _sky _inside the door, X was abruptly returned to reality as the doors slammed shut.

Feeling his anger rising, anger borne of a sinking feeling that he had seen the last of his best friend, X rounded on Yuna. "What do you mean, he's 'not well'? Why are you locking Zero in there?"

"Because…" Another flicker passed through Yuna's eyes, and not the kind that signaled access to the Elysium mainframe. It was as if her entire consciousness had been unhinged for the briefest of moments, then settled back as if nothing had happened. "The Master is conflicted." She turned to leave, but X circled in front of her.

"Conflicted about _what_? What's there to think about?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Problem is, the Master's more closely modeled after an organic creature than any of us. He is sometimes plagued with their less desirable traits."

"So you're not hiding him, you're keeping him _hostage_?"

"Hostage is a bad word for it. He's not with us against his will. Not all the time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yuna's demeanor abruptly downshifted. "Do you want to return to your _remaining _comrades, or not?"

"I – yes."

"Then shut down for me."

"Again?"

"It would please me."

She seemed to be flitting between the personable saleswoman type and a more subdued, mechanical personality much like Mistress Kira's. The process had X worried, but despite this he complied and shut himself down for transport. Right now, he wanted to stop thinking, like he had tried and failed to do once before. The only way he could see himself not thinking was in Alia's embrace, so while his conscience screamed at him to pursue the subject, he was only too happy to shut down and return to his one modicum of solace from a collapsing world.

* * *

Zero barely took note of his surroundings, didn't care to wonder how he had wound up on a small island or where the doors had gone. The heady glow of sunset was little more than a filter through which he saw the stark white building he was approaching ahead. The temple wasn't large – it couldn't be, for the width of the island could be traversed in twenty steps – and neither was it imposing. Still, a foreboding crept from the thick front door that wasn't unwelcome in Zero's present state of mind. 

Almost as if on command, the doors themselves burst open and a tall form in creamy robes stumbled down the steps. He sported the same irritating green hair as all the other Elysians, but it was long and unkempt. Most unusual of all were his eyes, all cloudy, uncertain silver.

"Are you…here to help me?" The Master choked, then doubled over in a sudden throbbing seizure.

"To help you? No." Automatically, Zero moved around the Master and sat on the temple steps. _His_ eyes were faintly tinted red. "What I have in mind – I'll be completely honest – is not in your best interest. It will, however, help Elysium and any future colonies we choose to cultivate."

**End of Chapter 36**

AN: Bear with me, people. I'm just setting up the dominoes.


	38. Chapter 37: Identity Theft

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 37: Identity Theft

By Genoscythe

* * *

This feeling, death, was most unusual. It felt an awful lot like living. Marx lifted his head, raised an arm, waved it in the air. Yeah, death usually didn't involve movement. So…that meant he was still alive? 

_Then how come I can't _see _anything? _Marx groaned. Then, as he remembered to open his eyes, heat rushed to his cheeks. Above him, a strange protrusion jutted out from the low ceiling, covered in spotlights and spindly manipulator arms. It looked and felt like he was being operated on, and considering how he miraculously survived his injuries, it didn't surprise him.

Something was different, though. It took him a good few moments to pinpoint it, and when he did, he jerked in surprise and horror. There was a _throbbing _inside his chest, a steady rhythm beating out the seconds as Marx sat frozen. Whoever fixed him had decided to take some creative liberties.

It had to be a small animal. Some sick bastard put a squirrel in his chest! As his mind raced, the beat intensified, and Marx jerked once again. Whatever creature inside him was getting more insistent, apparently trying to break through his chest plate. Marx squirmed, and soon found himself falling off the gurney or table or what have you.

As he pushed up into a sitting position, he made a new discovery. His skin was a deep mahogany. _Now _that's _odd…_Marx wondered. _Some sick bastard put a squirrel in my chest _and _he thought it would be cool to change my skin color. _As much as he tried to stay indifferent as usual, it was more than a little unsettling that he didn't recognize the hands that moved at his command.

Getting up, two even more important discoveries came to light. The first was that he was completely naked. One would argue that waking up to find one's skin a different color would be a much more important discovery, but Marx didn't want his savior walking in while his pants were, quite literally, down. However, even this realization was overwritten by the next.

Slumped against the wall, nestled in-between two large capsules, was his corpse. His eyes were dark holes, his armor scored and battered and painted in dry blood. It couldn't be. He _wasn't _dead. He was living, breathing, _staring _at his own cadaver. Marx lifted up his new hands with sudden clarity. His savior hadn't changed anything. He was in a completely different body.

The next discovery was the most gut-wrenching of all. Like a rag doll, thrown next to his body was Nephtis. It was too much to bear, seeing her in such a state. He turned, and found himself now staring at another woman.

She lay across a table next to his, looking for all the world like an Elysian. However, through this flimsy disguise Marx saw his Akila beneath. It had to be her.

_Then why isn't she getting up yet?_

"Rho, what are you waiting for?" A voice pierced Marx's thoughts, seeming to come from inside his head. "Suit up and come to the tower."

"What?" Marx murmured in the darkness, and immediately shut his mouth. That definitely wasn't his voice.

"Answer me, Rho. This is Upsilon."

Marx's body took over, and his eyes became unfocused. Clouding his vision was a black fog, alight with small golden dots. One of the dots was superimposed over the rest, with the word 'Purifier Upsilon' around the outer edge.

"I'm…not sure," Marx said again, hating the sound of his new voice.

"What do you mean? You weren't infected, were you?"

"Infected with what?" As he asked, Marx began guiding his vision over the other lights, and whenever he focused on one, it would display a name. None of them looked familiar.

"There must have been a mistake. You're not Rho, are you?"

Marx thought about this for a moment. _Where's Genoscythe? Or Alpha, or anyone we know? We must have been rescued by the wrong side…_Then, "Yes, I am. I'm…having trouble adjusting."

"So is Pi. He hasn't woken up yet, I'm afraid his consciousness is fragmented. Check on him for me."

Marx strode closer to the prone female form. "He's not a 'him' anymore."

A pause in the strange mental conversation. Finally, Upsilon seemed to wrestle to an answer. "That's impossible. Pi couldn't have been reborn as a Mother unit."

"Well…" Marx took an exploratory look at the woman on the gurney, then returned to the 'menu'. "That sure is what it looks like."

"I'm coming down there. He's not restarting, so there must be _some _kind of problem…"

"You don't believe he's a woman?"

"I don't even believe you're Rho." With that, the golden bauble sank back to join the others and their connection was severed. Immediately, Marx began prodding Nephtis (or what he hoped was Nephtis).

"Come on, babe. We gotta go…" He shook harder, looking for some kind of manual reboot button on the gurney. He gave up, perhaps too soon. _I need a weapon. _Damn _it, I need a weapon!_

"Weapon," another voice in his head, this one soothing and impartial, broke in. "Armory. Searching closest location…" A map intruded on his vision, and simultaneously a sort of magnetic feeling came over him, tugging his limbs out the door. He followed the map, out the door and down the hallway to the left. It was embarrassing, unwelcome, and most of all dangerous being naked and exposed like he was. Marx only hoped there was some armor left for him.

Following the instructions his body was giving him, he crept hastily down the corridor and around a bend. From what he had gathered, Elysium was a veritable labyrinth, but in this new body its infinite corridors all seemed easy to navigate. Marx was toying with the map, shrinking it to the side of his vision and moving it around when the collected female voice announced "Turn right."

In his meddling with the map feature, he had forgotten to make the turn. "Oh. Thank you, Gladys." He quickly backtracked and went down the right hallway. In no time, he was standing in a room that would have otherwise gotten him hopelessly lost in finding.

The armory was remarkably similar to the medical bay or wherever he'd come from, but the capsules lining the walls were full of strange suits of armor comprising mostly of cylinders, and the tables were bristling with arm cannons.

"First things first." Marx practically leapt to the nearest capsule, sliding it open and inspecting the first suit of armor. Pink. No go. He hurriedly threw the pink armor on the floor and the next suit slid forward. Green, with silver undertones. It would have to do. Marx slipped into the undersuit and found that the cylindrical pieces worked something like handcuffs. The chest plate, heftier and more jagged than on the pink armor, slid down over his head and locked in place. Last was the helmet, with a jutting reverse-fin on top.

It made Marx feel better than good. He was ready to take on anyone, be it mavericks, Elysians or Sigma himself. Well, almost. He rifled through the busters until he found one that matched his color and locked it onto his left arm like he had seen other reploids do. _Now_ he was ready.

He didn't even need the map going back to the reconstruction lab; once outside, he paused. Purifier Upsilon was probably already there. Despite how quick he had been, he had to assume that someone who lived in Elysium was quicker. Buster at the ready, Marx palmed open the door.

Across the room, a tall Elysian in rectangular white armor was staring, mystified, at the reploid corpses piled on the ground. Marx wasted no time, firing a plasma burst from his arm cannon. Upsilon's head snapped to attention, but by the time he could have feasibly reacted the shot had impacted with his shoulder. He was knocked back against a capsule, but he then used the surface to absorb the recoil from his own arm cannon. However, his was not the type of cannon supplied in the armory.

It was more like four cannons, one barrel on each corner of his forearm gauntlet. Marx leapt behind Nephtis's operating table as repeated blasts lanced at him. As an afterthought, he popped up from behind the table long enough to grab Nephtis and pull her still body down with him. Cradling her in one arm, charging his buster with the other, back pressed to the table, nobody was willing to make a move.

_X isn't here to bail you out,_ Marx coached himself. _But maybe with this new body, he doesn't have to. _He could hear Upsilon's greaves clanking on the alien gray floor. Laying Nephtis down gently, Marx then placed his feet against the table and pushed off. The effects were these: First, the table bent and came apart, landing on the floor and giving him a clear line of sight to Upsilon. Second, he slid backward along the ground, using it to steady his aim even as Upsilon began firing rapid bursts from his quad cannon.

Marx's shot slammed directly into Upsilon's face, sending him crashing onto his back. Marx was up in an instant, running over the fallen table and leaping onto Upsilon's chest. The skin of his face was all but gone, leaving only metal skeleton and what appeared to be sinew and muscle behind.

"You…you're the reploid over there…" Upsilon sputtered.

"And you're working with the Alphas, aren't you?"

"How can you follow him so blindly? How are there so many people as mad as he is…?"

"There's nothing mad about trying to save my home," Marx retorted, raising his buster for the final blow.

"_Saving_? He's the end of you all! You don't – " Marx fired his buster at point blank, and Upsilon's head caved in without so much as a grunt of disbelief. Marx stepped off of the corpse and turned around. Nephtis lay by the door, propped up by one arm with eyes wide.

"W-who – " She silenced herself at the sound of her voice, so bland and toneless in comparison to her old, honeyed, exotic one.

"It's me," he spoke comfortingly, then realized that not a shred of his old self remained but the eyes. "It's Marx." Hastily, he moved to block her view of their corpses.

"Then I'm…still me?"

"If 'me' is who I think it is."

"A…kil…a," she sounded out slowly.

"Yeah," Marx grinned, and suddenly she could see only the old Marx standing before her. "You're still you."

* * *

_Where are you…?_ X wondered, tapping a finger restlessly on the control panel. Alia was flipping through camera feeds on the command chamber's bottom right monitor, and testily at that. She didn't appreciate X asking her to help him track down a woman whom he once had even minimal intimate relations with. To Alia, going on 'one harmless date' qualified as intimate enough. 

"We're not going to find her. This place is built like a maze," Alia murmured restlessly.

"I don't care. I'm obligated to keep her safe."

"Says who?"

"Says the little voice in my head that told me I should get a career in protecting innocent people."

Alia pouted, having the desired effect of X running a hand along her shoulders. Easing into his arm, she continued flickering the monitor.

"You still didn't tell us where Zero went," Axl pointed out from across the room, where he was nestled on a sleeping pallet with Selene.

"_Or _what you're going to do with Endymion," Selene added.

"I'm getting to that," X offered absent-mindedly, stroking his chin in concentration. "You really think she got very far? Maybe we should check closer to the command chamber."

"Our cameras don't cover _half _of the hallways around just this _one_ room," Alia informed him. "We won't find her, especially if she doesn't want to be found."

"Well, _I_ don't want to give up."

"And _I_ don't want to throw out any more subtle hints, so I'll just say it right now: I think this is a waste of time."

The door suddenly opened, and all eyes turned to the new arrival. Malakai stumbled in, clutching his head in both hands.

"God _damn_, but that's a headache I won't forget," he growled, unceremoniously dumping himself next to Axl and Selene. He looked unchanged since they had last seen him, except his eyes were bloodshot almost completely red and two burnt spots existed on either side of his temple.

"What are you doing here?" Axl asked pointedly.

"I'm being a good little boy," Malakai answered with another growl. "I swear, if you all knew the half of what – " Suddenly, his voice cut out completely and his body rocked violently. They all waited, tensed, as Malakai convulsed against the wall for at least fifteen seconds.

"Malakai?" X spoke tentatively. The trembling subsided.

"I understand. Even _that's _pushing it…" He spoke to himself. Abruptly, he turned to Axl. "I see you're getting yourself some ass, my friend."

Axl's hand zoomed back up to Selene's shoulder, eliciting a small giggle. "It was a good try," she offered consolingly. She then leaned in closer, nibbling his ear and whispering, "You can do that again later."

"Hey, stop changing the subject," said X, leaving the control panel and walking to the base of the command platform.

"I'm just changing the subject so I don't go into a freakin' seizure again."

"Genoscythe told us you're one of the Alphas."

"He did? I guess he didn't tell you why we're _called_ the Alphas? Why your little group is called the Omegas? No? It's a shame I can't tell you."

"Why not?" X took a few steps closer. He wasn't menacing. Not yet.

"You saw what happened when I tried to drop a cryptic hint, what do you think'll happen to me if I tell you everything?"

X fell silent, then turned back to the monitor longingly. He used to have so much conviction…he was right, the mavericks were wrong. Now, still sitting on Earth but so far from home, everything was turning to shades of gray. What Malakai was saying, Genoscythe obviously didn't want them to hear it. It used to be that he could trust his commanding officer without a doubt, but if Genoscythe were withholding information from them so strongly…

"Let's take it easy, X," Alia suggested, getting up from her chair. "We should relax while we can…wait for Genoscythe's next orders."

"I don't think I want to hear them…"

"X, you _know _Malakai is a liar," she said more subtly. "You can never tell when he's being honest or just trying to get in your head."

"That's a good point," X conceded. "What was it he used to say he was? A time-traveler from the future sent to rescue humanity's leader as a kid?"

"I think that was his first backstory, yeah." She smiled, and the tension quickly dissipated. Malakai opened his mouth to protest, but once again words refused to form. X and Alia moved to the relative comfort of their 'camp', where they could do naught but double over in silent laughter as Axl and Selene continued to get used to each other. It was mostly Axl who had difficulty, repeatedly daring himself to place his hand back where it had been before Malakai discovered it.

"She has the patience of a saint," Alia murmured, earning a chuckle from X. "I think we should leave them alone and see what happens."

"But I'm worried about Axl."

"He'll survive."

A chill suddenly entered the room, preceding a rhythm of metal footsteps on metal floor. X looked to the source and found Genoscythe, clad in his old reploid-style armor, standing in the far doorway.

"We've finished preparations," he announced.

"Preparations for what?" X asked, reluctantly getting to his feet.

"For our assault on the tower," Genoscythe answered. "I've been running system checks, and one of the Alphas' stronger Purifiers was just killed. The two that Zero killed in the engine room still aren't at combat efficiency yet, so now is really the ideal time to strike."

"But…we just _got _here! It can't be that simple."

Genoscythe's head bent low, and he advanced slowly on X. "We have been at a stalemate for nearly two hundred years. Neither side has been able to gain an advantage, and now that we _have _the advantage – that's you – can you understand why I'm a little _impatient_?"

"You said they have armies of Reaverbots, we can't possibly – "

"One thing we have always had over the Alphas is a superior number of Purifiers. _They_ will deal with the Reaverbots, _you_ will get to the top of the tower and take over Eden."

"What about them?" X cast a look back at his weary group of Maverick Hunters.

"If it sounds too dangerous, then they get to stay behind." His chiding tone had the desired effect of shooting Axl to his feet.

"Hold on, I never said anything about staying behind," he broke in, walking up to the two. "Selene and I can disguise ourselves. We can keep you covered."

"Alia? Malakai?"

Genoscythe gave Malakai a severe look. "Tau will be fighting the Reaverbots," he spoke coldly. "Alia can stay here and continue to be your spotter. She _does _have access to the mainframe, remember?"

"I remember…"

"Then let's go. The sooner we finish this, the better."

"If we were wiped out in the engine room, what makes you think this will be any different? And this time, we're attacking their stronghold!"

"Have some faith, X. I've got a plan."

**End of chapter 37**

AN: Whew, a back-to-back update. Don't worry, the dominoes are all set now. Next chapter should be _veeeery _interesting.


	39. Chapter 38: Coup D'etat

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 38: Coup D'etat

By Genoscythe

AN: It is really, really hard to keep this up. I've almost completely changed to a comedy writer, I'm juggling three stories at once (two fanfictions and one novel), and I'm trying to fit in school and my first job as well. Somewhere. But I'll be damned if I cut corners. I'm finishing this thing the way I envisioned it, and when I do, I get to heave a massive sigh of relief. I may just have to stop writing completely (this includes my other fanfiction, but not my novel which I could actually make money from and quit my crappy bagboy job so I can have time for writing fanfiction), so please understand not only that I have to take a long time on these chapters, but _why_.

With that out of the way, enjoy. I had to make my own lines since the editor is being stupid, though chances are it's been so long you don't even remember what the old lines looked like...

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Zero woke up to the harsh glow of an intense sunset, seemingly adrift on the ocean. With a start, he got to his feet and whipped his head around. An island. _How the hell did I get on an _island Desperately, he tried to remember the last thing he could. Marx and Nephtis were killed…he saw it, and he destroyed two enemy Purifiers in retaliation. X was talking to Alia…for some reason, he had an overpowering desire to see the Master that he didn't fully understand. Together, he and X found a Mother unit to take them to the Master…and she asked him to shut down.

That was the last thing Zero remembered. A goddamn _island_?

Peripheral sensors told Zero to snap his head up, and so he did. The very Elysium-style building next to him was open, and a broad-shouldered, long-haired man was framed in its maw. The man was terrified, slipping back through the doorway and slamming it shut with the press of a button.

A goddamn island with a goddamn nut hiding in a goddamn temple. Zero _really _wanted to remember what he was doing there. Trudging up to the building, he knocked impatiently on the door.

"If you're the one responsible for this headache, you'd better hope that door is too thick for me to get through," he warned light-heartedly. The man in the temple failed to pick up on this.

"Why are you _here_?" The Elysian wailed. "They don't want to kill me!"

"I couldn't tell. Will you open this door?"

"It's only a matter of time anyway. Why can't you just leave me be?"

Zero cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to fill me in on some things. Like where we are."

The door jerked open a crack. When the Elysian was satisfied, he opened the doors completely and skittered away from him.

"What the hell's gotten into you?"

"You have."

"I think I'd know if I did."

The Elysian suddenly roared, crouching and slamming his head against the floor. Zero jumped involuntarily.

"Calm _down_. Jesus Christ, I didn't even do anything to you yet."

"Yet? _Yet_? For ages, you've kept me locked up here. That damnable virus has been chipping away my sanity for hundreds of years! Tell me Delta, if you haven't done _anything_ to me _yet_, then what comes next?"

"Whoah. Big mistake. I'm not who you think I am."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"What are you seeing with? Optics?"

This seemed to confuse the already bewildered Elysian. "Yes. Why?"

"Because you're seeing something I don't. I'm not Delta."

"I – I can see your code. It's all over you. And your armor…"

"My _code_?" Zero balked incredulously, striding into the temple and causing the Elysian to skitter away from him. "I'm a reploid. I don't have a damned code. That I know of," he added quickly.

"But what are you doing here if you are a reploid? And why do you have Delta's programming coursing through your systems?"

"Delta sneezed and I caught something," Zero muttered dryly. He absent-mindedly tried out the marble throne protruding from the back wall, and found it to his liking. "I don't know this Delta guy. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know where _here_ is."

The Elysian raised an eyebrow, taking a shaky step toward the throne. "You're in a displacement prison. We're still inside Elysium, but we're miles away from the door."

"Really?" Zero looked up from admiring the curved arm rests. "That was pretty straightforward. I guess you're done pretending I'm someone else?"

"You couldn't be – you're clueless."

"Thanks for that."

"I can only think of one reason why you came here. You wanted to see the Master, didn't you?"

"Yeah…I don't know why, but I did."

"I am the Master."

Zero blinked. "Oh."

"That was once my throne."

Zero darted off of it. "Be my guest. It's not really my kind of chair anyway." The Master shambled closer, still regarding Zero with distrust.

"When you arrived, you were a different person. You were Delta."

"I'd better watch that…"

"You drew your sword, and I fled in here. After awhile, you simply collapsed outside. I – didn't know what to think of you."

Suddenly, Zero's sword flashed out of its sheath and the Master leapt back into the far corner. Almost as unexpectedly, Zero returned the blade to its resting place.

"Just kidding," he assured with a toothy grin. "You keep talking about this Delta guy. Who is he?"

"Y-you're a reploid, right?" The Master didn't dare moving closer this time.

"That's what I said."

"Then you probably know him as Genoscythe."

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Signas, by this point, was just going through the motions. He had no justifiable reason to come into work anymore. There were no mavericks left, and he was ready to make it official. Still, he was built to lead – and, more importantly, to show up to work every day. That illusion reploid designers called Free Will shimmered in front of Signas every day on the side of his capsule. It always disguised itself as a button marked 'sleep mode'.

He told himself that he never pressed it because he liked to be punctual, but that didn't mean he really did. It wouldn't have been such a moral dilemma if he had known that many humans shared the same problem.

"What do you have for me, Blip?" The poor navigator was named Blip. Well, it wasn't exactly Replitech's fault. He _looked_ like a Blip. "Nothing, as usual?"

"Yes, sir…" Blip mumbled dutifully, pushing up his ornamental glasses. _He's a reploid. He doesn't goddamn _need _glasses!_

"I don't know why I ask. There's nothing to look for." _Except maybe some word from X and his group. A sign. It doesn't do to just _worry _about them anymore. For all I know, they're retaking Elysium as I think…_

"Commander Signas!" A weedy voice cut in from down the hall. Signas snapped his head to find Douglas making good use of his repaired body, running full-tilt down the hallway toward the research-center-turned-command-center. "The source is changing altitude!"

"What, Elysium?"

"Yes!"  
"You mean sinking?"

"No, sir! It's rising!"

"Why?"

"I don't know, sir!"

"You're supposed to know!"

"Sir…"

"You weren't programmed to not know!"

"With my limited knowledge of the phenomenon, I couldn't possibly understand why or how Elysium is rising…sir."

"Well, are we still getting interference?"

"Not for much longer, if it continues at its present rate it should be in orbit within the hour."

"Tell me the _second_ we can make contact with X. I want to know what's going on up there!"

_Finally, something's happening!_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

At that moment, Axl was feeling about as nauseous as a reploid could feel. Elysium wasn't _lurching _under their feet. Not exactly. It was the feeling of weightlessness that got him. Striding nonchalantly toward the central tower's security hub, he could feel it in the floor. Elysium's engines were toiling below, sliding the island sluggishly into the air.

"I'm surprised this is working," Selene whispered next to him.

"We haven't gotten to any hard parts yet," Axl reprimanded, feeling as though he should be some kind of authority on the situation. "First we gotta find out if we're actually going in the right direction or not."

"You don't trust people very easily, do you Axl?" Selene gave him a worried glance. "First it was Malakai. You thought he was a maverick spy."

"I was almost right, wasn't I?" Axl shot back.

"Then Marx. Come to think of it, you thought _he _was a maverick spy too."

"Hey, in war people use – "

"Now you don't trust Genoscythe!" Selene finished doggedly.

"I never said that. I said I didn't know if we were going in the right direction."

"But you implied that it was because Genoscythe is trying to trick us. I can hear it in your voice."

Axl stopped, compelling Selene to do the same. "Hey, I trust a lot of people – just not the untrustworthy ones." Selene started walking again, forcing Axl to do the same. "I trust X, I trust Zero, I trust _you_…"

"I hope so."

"And that's all. I think I'm being pretty fair." Their banter continued down the hall, finally dying in a large rectangular chamber. The first thing Axl noticed was the crystal hovering – seemingly by its own – in the center of the room. It looked like the bits left behind by the Reaverbots, if one were as big as your arm and bright enough to make a room covered in tar seem colorful.

Next came the rows of columns. Axl watched them carefully, for he _knew _this wouldn't be a simple 'pick up the crystal and walk away' deal. Someone was lurking in this room, even though Axl couldn't pick up the faintest trace of evidence to back it up.

"Alright, _I'll _go get it," Selene offered dryly, stepping into the room. Axl's hand shot out to grab her wrist, but she anticipated this and skipped ahead of his reach.

"Selene!"

"Axl, you're at it again. Just calm down. We can either grab the refractor and be really paranoid about it, or we can grab the refractor and just be careful about it."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Axl wondered aloud, tentatively entering behind her.

"No. _You're_ paranoid. _I'm_ careful." Selene glanced once at the columns around them, then walked across the room and up to the refractor. Upon trying to grab it, she found that it wouldn't move. At almost the same time, she found that a red eye was staring at her from the back of the room. At first, she thought it was just a result of the crimson refractor's light on a wall design, but then it moved. The pattern on the back wall shifted, hunching forward.

Selene decided it was the biggest Reaverbot she had ever seen. The monstrosity was comprised of a barrel-shaped body, a pointed head, some sort of hover-legs, and arms as long as it was tall. These it swung madly, crashing into the surrounding pillars and scattering chunks of metal across the room.

Immediately, Selene produced two pistols from the holding bays of her camouflaged armor. Axl followed suit, raising the DNA-copied buster he had gotten from a dying Purifier. They fired their weapons, and it soon became apparent that Axl's weapon worked and Selene's didn't.

The Reaverbot charged with frightening speed, especially for something so massive. Selene hopped away from the refractor Genoscythe had sent them to retrieve, but she underestimated its reach and caught the brunt of one club-like arm in her chest.

Axl leapt to catch her, but the force of the blow sent both of them into a column. Hovering gingerly around the refractor, the Reaverbot advanced in much the same way it did before, flailing its arms and knocking away columns. Axl kicked off of the pillar at their backs, activating his hover boots and waiting suspended as the Reaverbot charged.

As it sped under him, he grabbed onto the point on its head and yanked with all his considerable reploid strength. The Reaverbot veered right, still managing to whack Selene again with its wild appendages. Axl opened fire on the back of its neck, chewing through thinner metal plating and eventually wires. However, as stupid as the Reaverbot was, it knew how to shake off a nasty flea.

It rushed for the opposite wall, ramming its head against the row of columns and nearly taking off Axl's _own_ head (although one could argue that it was in fact some random Purifier's head, and that Axl was just borrowing it). The Reaverbot continued through the pillars and into the wall, which it found to be quite a bit more solid.

The Reaverbot slumped backward, its head smashed in and dripping bits of wires. Axl wobbled off dazedly, having taken some debris to the temple. He wobbled quicker to Selene when he noticed she was sprawled by the entrance.

Crouched over her, Axl momentarily removed his disguise while raising her head onto his lap.

"What are you doing…idiot," Selene mumbled, pushing his hand away from her shattered chest armor. "Get the refractor first. And turn your copy DNA back on!"

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X whipped around again, but his pursuer was fast. Or invisible. Or a figment of extreme paranoia, the kind he had unwittingly passed on to Axl while training the young reploid. He had little else to do but imagine phantom enemies while he waited outside the tower for Genoscythe's big plan to unfold. Someone had been following him through the mazelike courtyard, or so he believed. There were plenty of twists and white marble edifices to conceal a stalker.

The clouds above were almost the clouds below; Elysium was rising slowly but surely. X looked at the tower once more, wondering if he should just climb it…

_"X, I got it!"_ Axl informed him over the comm. link.

"Good job, Axl," X declared, only faltering when he had to ask "What did you get?"

_"The…_thing_ Genoscythe told us to find. Selene called it a refractor."_

"Why?"

_"You mean he didn't tell you? It's powering the tower's security stuff. Like doors and gun turrets."_

X nodded to himself, approaching one of the tower's many entrances. The small red baubles fixated on the doors and walls were no longer glowing – X took this as a sign that the power was off. As he pried open the door, he wondered why Genoscythe had been so vague. Instead of abandoning X in the courtyard to 'help fight' he could have at least explained why X had to wait.

"You're a smart kid," Genoscythe had chided before vanishing behind a turn.

_"X…we're just gonna stay here if that's okay with you," _Axl spoke in the present. _"Selene's hurt, and this place looks safe."_

"No! Axl, they'll be trying to find out what happened to the power. Don't stay there!"

_"Okay, okay. We've got our disguises, though. Don't worry about – It's moving! Selene!"_

"Axl?" X pressed his back against the crack in the door, wedging a foot inside and pushing against the other half. With a great deal of urgency-fueled effort, he managed to shove the portal open. Dull impacts assaulted him through his comm. link, and he resisted the urge to cry out. It would do no good to worry about them, even if it was compulsory.

The hallway ahead led straight to another door, but _that _door opened up into a massive vertical cavern. The shaft seemed to stretch on forever, and in searching for an elevator X discovered that he was already standing on it. The entire floor was an octagonal platform. A control panel was conveniently placed across its surface, and X had to jog to reach it quickly.

However, like everything else the elevator had no power. X searched the control panel for perhaps an emergency usage button, but all he found was a panel on the back. Inside was a tiny, burnt-out refractor, which X plucked out and discarded.

A lightbulb struck X across the forehead, and he produced the refractor taken from the dead Reaverbot. He had planned to keep it as a souvenir, but right now it had a much more important function. It slid unevenly into the panel, and the effects were instantaneous. The octagon lit up, and four bands of light arced into the darkness above from four of the platform's corners.

The elevator shot up, carrying X on his knees. Defying the will of kinetic energy, he looked skyward toward his fate.

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"But how did you know?" Nephtis asked, her voice reverberating through the cracks in the door.

"I just asked the onboard computer," Marx responded coolly, locking Purifier Upsilon's quad-buster onto his arm. The green armor was piled next to an operating table, and Upsilon's body lay in front of the reploid shells clad only in his silver undersuit. _Its_ silver undersuit. Marx had trouble familiarizing a corpse with gender-specific pronouns, especially one he created.

He took another look at himself via a glass capsule on the wall. He was less his old self, but rather everything his old self wanted to be. His skin was more toned, his blue eyes more striking and crystalline. His ragged brown hair was back, though a little longer and thicker in the 'roguish bangs' department. From the reflection, he couldn't tell. Purifier Upsilon's crested white helmet obscured all but the most adventurous parts of his hair.

In sitting on the ground, cradling Nephtis and wishing he were himself again, directions popped into his head much like they had for the armory. It was as if his new body could feel his emotions, and react to them accordingly. The unfamiliar program in his head told him about an appearance-altering chamber used for trips outside of Elysium.

Marx used it to restore his body and voice, and Nephtis was currently doing the same. When she next spoke, it sounded sweet and indefinably exotic.

"Marx…I know I don't often say this…"

"Go on."

"Maybe that's just because I don't usually have reason to…"

"Yeah?"

"You're a genius." The door slipped open, and Nephtis stepped out, obscuring herself as best she could. She hadn't changed much…in that she hadn't changed her original appearance quite as much as Marx had. She seemed more slender, her muscle structure less overbearing. Marx wasn't sure if it was the lack of clothing, but he could judge from the top half and decided that there was indeed a difference.

"I'll do the hard thing and take that as a compliment," Marx responded. "You can have that green armor."

"What if I want the white one?" The transformation seemed to have done to her spirits what a nuclear power plant would do to an old car battery.

"Well, I know an armory a few halls that way with a nice selection of pink and blue suits for you."

"I'll take green." Nephtis slipped into the undersuit, and while she figured out how to attach her new armor, Marx continued talking.

"I guess we both cheated," he remarked. She looked up, caught off guard.

"What?"

"You look…_good_."

"Oh…" she blushed, a more pronounced action now that she had real blood coursing through her body. "You too. I thought it was just the armor."

"I guess, when you're given a chance to look any way you want to, it's just too good to pass up."

"I didn't change _that_ much." Nephtis slid the chest armor over her head, and gasped when it clicked shut. "This wasn't made…for women…"

"Well, then come with me." Marx grabbed her by the hand and led her to the entrance. However, when he opened it he instinctively jumped back. A sea of tiny Reaverbots scuttled outside, and when the portal opened they all swarmed in, locked on Purifier Upsilon's body. Realizing they were about to do to Upsilon what they did to Nephtis and himself, he raised his new buster arm and released a volley of energy bolts.

A continuous barrage of shots reduced Upsilon's corpse and all the surrounding Reaverbots to charred bits – not all of it metal. Marx paused and, just for good measure, opened fire on the capsules lining the walls. Glass shattered and the delicate systems within the walls began exploding. Soon the Reaverbots were busy simply trying to stop the fires.

Marx was an expert at finding the armory, and he had them there within minutes. Before the door even finished closing, Nephtis shrugged off the massive chest plate. He gave her the quick tour of the armory, but to their mutual surprise none of the armor sets were female compatible. There _were_, Marx noted, several racks of form-fitting tan dresses on the far wall.

He showed them to Nephtis, who picked one up and looked it over. She turned to him and shrugged. He shrugged back.

"Can you turn around?" She asked, throwing off the gauntlets and greaves she had put on before.

"And you were totally naked, what…five minutes ago?"

"I didn't really have a choice!"

"You could've asked back then."

"Yeah, but I don't want to be picky about it."

"Suit yourself," Marx conceded, turning around at the sound of sliding fabric. A moment later, a warm hand enveloped his and spun him around.

"It's definitely more feminine," Nephtis noted, feeling the silky material between her fingers.

"I like it," Marx concluded. "It's cute. Adorable."

"Marx…"

"Yes, Akila?"

Nephtis paused to give him a once-over. "Why aren't we all over each other, like we used to be?"

The question blindsided Marx, who let go of her hands and stepped back. The mere idea of spending all his time with Nephtis just trying to get in bed with her suddenly sounded ridiculous and foreign. "Dying kinda changes your priorities, doesn't it?"

"It would have to," she replied, allowing a nervous chuckle. The comment was a little too close to the sore spot. "So, these priorities…"

"Surviving, for one. Finding the Omegas, for another. From what I can tell, we're in enemy territory."

"Hell, we _are _the enemy," Nephtis put in. Marx nodded grimly.

"I'd also like to know why so many Purifiers are disappearing from the comm. node."

"The what?"

"It's something in my head. I don't know if you have it."

"No, I…" Nephtis suddenly stopped as she concentrated on the new operating program in her mind's eye. "I can hear them all. They're fighting."

"Fighting our guys?"

"Fighting _something_," Nephtis murmured uncertainly. "It's a new Purifier. Lock," she said confidently. "They keep talking about a virus spreading…" Marx ran a hand over his quad-buster arm worriedly. "I'm talking to one of them," she spoke quickly. "Marx, he's saying there's _Elysians _infected with a kind of Maverick Virus!"

Another pause. Then, Nephtis blanched and returned focus to her lover. "Marx…it's us."

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X was surprised. The elevator had spat him out almost directly into Eden's chamber. There was no gauntlet of spikes and disappearing blocks to leap across, but then he reminded himself that this was not one of Sigma's little funhouses. The room that stemmed from a single small door atop the elevator shaft was not large, as X expected. It was rectangular, with a low ceiling but a long walk to the other side.

The other side was all curling wires and less identifiable protrusions. At the center of it, something vaguely fleshy stirred.

_You come here at last, X. _The voice came from every surface of the chamber, but X tried his best to ignore it and stride forward determinedly. He had heard these speeches before. It pained him to hear one again. _I expected – _

"You expected I would be here sooner," X finished. "And yes, I know it is hopeless. I know your plans cannot be stopped. I know my strength falters under whatever gimmick you have up your sleeve. I also _don't care_."

_X, this is foolishness._

"Oh, I forgot that one."

_Do you know why Purifier Delta and his cadre are called the Omegas?_

"Because you believe our way of thinking will be the end of humanity," X answered, his tone steely. He was more than halfway across the room.

_Yes and no! _The voice boomed. _It will certainly be the end of humanity, but not the way you envision._

"Where is Sigma?" X asked, changing the topic.

_He is following orders, attempting to save what we can of our greatest success._

"That doesn't sound like Sigma."

_He does not know what the Omegas are really trying to do, either. If he did, he would turn on us._

X very nearly faltered, but he forced himself onward for the sake of all the lives ruined by the Maverick Wars. It was Eden's fault for releasing the Maverick Virus in trying to cull humanity. It was his fault for X being born a martyr. As far as X was concerned, all the blame he had been unable to pin on any one person or thing over the years was being dumped on Eden.

He had carried his barred anger for almost a century, held back by dams of kindness. Eden was the source of his problems. Eden was the key to unlocking his hatred.

"You have nothing to say to me," X growled. "This is your force field, right?" He was stopped at a faintly glowing green barrier.

_On the contrary, I have very much to say to you. Please stop and hear my words._

"I don't think so." X stepped into the protective field, and it buzzed around him. His entire body seemed to repel the energy field. At least, until it suddenly shifted to blue. Heat poured onto him, and he screamed in agony. Thinking quickly, he leapt back into relative safety. His armor bubbled, and the outer coating of his combat gloves had begun to flake off. "What the hell?"

_I know what you are made of. You think I am blind to what occurs on _my_ planet?_

"No…" X felt obligated to mutter. He pulled himself to his feet and activated his buster.

_That will not make it past the field. Oh, and let me explain something to you. I am surrounded by powerful anti-personnel cannons that I have neglected to use on you in the hope that you will listen to me! If you are beyond reconciliation, I will be forced to vaporize you._

"Fine…say what you have to say," X growled, his processor already thinking of ways around the field and the guns.

_When this place was first built, my kind was at war. Our adversaries, the machines, knew about Elysium, and they infected one of our numbers with a virus before it was launched. They did not believe life, organic life, should exist _anywhere_. The Purifier they infected was to facilitate this._

A shadow moved up next to X.

"Are you alright?" Genoscythe asked, laying a hand on X's shoulder.

"No. I can't get through his force field anymore," X replied, putting aside his shock at Genoscythe's appearance in respect to the gravity of the situation.

_Delta!_

"Right. You did good, X." Genoscythe released him, stepping into Eden's protective field.

"Genoscythe…!"

"I knew you knew," Genoscythe told Eden, ignoring X's cry. "Something you don't know is that, to counteract X's resistant material, you had to turn your shield to a frequency that doesn't affect Elysians. You really took the bait…"

_My shield must recharge before I can change frequencies again! X, do not let him kill me! _Eden pleaded. X glanced from Genoscythe to the withered organic creature tied to the wall. It looked like a human.

"Wait, Genoscythe!" X cried again. Genoscythe continued to the wall, staring up at Eden's shocked face.

"You're listening to his crap?" Genoscythe muttered, apparently relishing the ability to stand so close to Eden without disintegrating.

"Not yet, that's why I want you to wait. I haven't heard the whole story."

_X, he is the – _Eden's quickened voice burst into static as Genoscythe's hand clamped down on the rotting creature's head. With a sharp tug, the torso came free of its limbs and thumped lightly on the ground. It was so shriveled it seemed almost weightless. The arms and legs, wrapped up in cables and wires, slowly slid out of their holders and rolled along the ground. A clawed hand came to rest at X's feet.

"Genoscythe…what exactly are you doing here?" X spoke slowly, comprehension and denial fighting for dominance of his thoughts.

"I knew he would be able to stop you."

"So why did you tell me I had to sacrifice myself for all this?"

"It was good motivation," Genoscythe answered matter-of-factly. "Aren't you glad? You're free."

"I'm free? Don't I still need to – "

"_I'm_ taking control of Elysium," Genoscythe said with finality.

"But you're just a Purifier."

"Not just a Purifier, X! The program inside you, the one that allows you to interface with Eden, originally came from my processor." Genoscythe stepped up to the coiling tentacles, reaching out a hand shakily.

"…so that's you, isn't it? You're the one with the virus."

"I would hardly call it a – "

"You're not going to stop the Carbon Re-initialization Program." X swayed, getting to his feet and glaring accusingly at Genoscythe. The Elysian stared back through his face plate.

"It isn't a virus," he stated calmly as several cables wound around his arms. "A virus is like an instinct. A _desire_, as powerful and groundless as human emotion. A reploid virus tells you what to do, not how to do it."

"This…_thing_, then, does both?"

"My programming. My prime directive. I was _remade _in order to stop the spread of organic life in the universe and plant the seeds for a machine race."

"Better than organic life in every possible way, right?" X scoffed.

"Certainly less selfish," Genoscythe shot back as he was lifted off his feet and pinned to the wall by writhing cables. "The Alphas call themselves that because they think they're a new beginning, and we're the end. They just haven't heard part two of my plan."

"How did all those Purifiers and Mother units come to see your…point of view?"

"I spread my gift to them."

"I believe that's the definition of a virus."

"Come on, don't tell me you've been a Maverick Hunter for so long that that's all you think about. It doesn't have to be a virus to be spread."

"Viruses just happen to fit the description," X spat. "Why are you telling me all this? I'm sure it's not written down in your plans to have me know all about them."

Genoscythe scoffed as another group of tentacles wrapped around his legs. "I've got nothing to do until the interface is complete. Besides, I'm hoping to get you on my side."

X was thunderstruck. "I'm not going to help you wipe out humanity! How could you think I would?"

"Because I thought a century of knowledge would help you see the big picture. Humans are doomed. Whether we intervene or not, their population has stressed that poor little planet to the breaking point. If we do nothing, the humans all die horrible, violent deaths. If we use the CRP, the whole process will start again – that part of my old speech was true. If we activate the CRP, but shut it off in mid-process, then the humans are eradicated relatively painlessly and we can begin a machine race on some other planet without having to worry about the humans spreading their waste and their chaos to other worlds."

"I…" X trailed off as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, not surprised to find Sigma striding across the hall. The mavericks Stealth Claw, Tread Havoc and Tempest followed at a respectful distance. Havoc was livid, but doing a wonderful job of not revealing it to the others. "Sigma."

"I like this picture," Sigma cackled. "Like it much better. The human is on the ground where it belongs."

"And in five pieces so it can't hurt you," X mocked. Sigma bared his teeth, stepping forward and extending a massive clawed hand.

"Eden, permission to gut him?" Sigma growled.

"No, not yet. I'm not quite done. What were you going to say, X?" Genoscythe asked in a conversational tone.

"I think humanity has a chance. They can turn it around," X spat, turning back to face Genoscythe.

"Turn what? Their garbage-ridden cesspool of a planet?"

"You obviously haven't spent too much time around humans." X grinned mirthlessly. "They will survive. They will fight with tooth and nail if they have to, but I've witnessed firsthand that nothing is stronger than the human spirit."

"Okay," Genoscythe muttered sourly. "Now you can gut him."

X leapt to the left as a claw shot through his former position. Sigma started forward like a freight train, backing X into the wall. The azure reploid kicked off the wall, sailing over Sigma's head as he plunged his claw arm into the wall. X almost didn't notice the cannons lowering from the ceiling just outside the protective field.

He darted behind the hulking shadow of Sigma as bursts of iridescent red collided with the ground. Each shot exploded, rending chunks of metal out of the floor. One caught Sigma in the arm, knocking him back and over X's crouched form. X took the opportunity to make a break for the hole Sigma had torn in the wall. It was his only chance at escape, with mavericks blocking the exit and Genoscythe protected by the field.

The hole wasn't very deep, but fire from the ceiling cannons made it so. X charged a buster shot, dancing around a burst from the cannons and running at the shredded wall. He fired, ramming his shoulder into what remained of the wall just following the impact. To his surprise, after the initial blow a feeling of weightlessness came over him. As the debris was torn away, he realized he was falling next to the central tower. The sky was turning black, and something like a sheet was creeping up over Elysium's edges. X stared in freefall, at least until he collided with a protrusion from the tower and was spun about wildly.

_Wall climbing program,_ his mind instructed him. _Not yet, _it added. He let himself fall for what felt like an eternity as the sky was swallowed up by the strange covering. Finally, he was near enough to the ground, and he reached out for the wall. His hand stuck, but the rest of his body did not want to stay with it. X reflected that it must have been sheer force of will holding his arm socket together.

Planting two hands on the wall and stopping his descent completely, he let out a simultaneously exhilarated and resigned sigh. What now? Genoscythe was probably uniting the two factions, since he now controlled both. With all of Elysium looking for him, it would be nearly impossible for him to get around. Not to mention he had no way to make it through Genoscythe's protective field. He desperately needed an Elysian.

What now? _Jump_.

X jumped on instinct, and a slug zipped by next to him. Leaning out the hole in the wall, Tread Havoc was firing rounds from his shoulder cannon. As a reploid, his superiors had always told him that the eyes of a sniper and the arsenal of a private army were a deadly combination. Havoc told them thank you.

However, this time Tread Havoc was trying to miss. It wasn't even the reploid in him taking over. He was loyal to Eden's ideals, not to the idea of Eden. The others would serve it no matter who was at the helm, but he intended to preserve what little success they had achieved with humanity.

Tread Havoc was killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, he was warning Megaman X to stay away from the central tower. Second, he was trying to _appear_ loyal to all concerned. He would need their acceptance later.

**End of Chapter 37**


	40. Chapter 39: The X Factor

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 39: The X Factor

By Genoscythe

AN: A lot of shockingly improbable things have happened since September 14, 2006, almost exactly four years ago today. A relatively young black man was elected in an office previously dominated by eccentric old white men, a film starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Ludgren, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger somehow came out boring, and Genoscythe finished another chapter of _Elysium Rising_. Who the hell could've predicted that one? I certainly didn't, but I think the guilt over leaving this story unfinished has been piling up over the years, and now I'd rather just buckle down and finish the thing rather than continue to live with the shame. At the very least, I can make another effort. We're close. I don't know if anybody from the old days still cares, or if anybody still wants to read Megaman X fanfiction at all (after all, it's been even longer since the last X game was released than it took for me to finish this chapter), but just in case someone does, here's _Megaman X: Elysium Rising _chapter 39. Enjoy.

* * *

"X…" It was the most soothing voice X had ever heard, and to his surprise, it wasn't Alia's.

"Who…?" X tried to open his eyes, but they steadfastly refused. However, even with his eyes closed he could see a faint blue shimmering amidst the darkness.

"Our struggle has come full circle," the weathered voice mused, and X was able to pinpoint the source as somewhere inside his head.

"What do you mean? Why can't I open my eyes?" X groaned, trying to move and predictably finding his limbs locked. It was then that he realized he wasn't actually talking, but thinking the words.

"We need to talk, and I would like you to not be distracted," the voice asserted, and confused as X was he began to understand.

"Dad?"

The crystalline light focused into the shape of a stout old man. "Hello, X. It has been awhile."

"Is it true?" X jumped in immediately. He had longed for this conversation, and the list of questions in his head were begging to be answered. "The Elysians gave you the knowledge to build reploids?"

Dr. Light's avatar chuckled. "No, no. I scrapped that design immediately."

X felt his heart soar. One of the burdens that had been weighing him down was the notion that Dr. Light wasn't truly responsible for his creation. The thought that Elysium wasn't omnipotent did much to boost his morale. "So you knew it was them?"

Dr. Light's brow furrowed. "I did not. But your original design was alien – cycloptic, very much like these Reaverbots you've been fighting. You were a fleshless, bloodless machine. An incredibly advanced machine, but still…it wasn't what I had in mind for the future of the robot race."

"So I was just another Reaverbot to them. They wanted me to be a tool," X concluded grimly.

"Yes, but the Elysians are still using you as one. They have played on your heartstrings and you have been dancing accordingly."

"Father…" Before X could explain himself, Dr. Light plowed on.

"Please hear me out, X. It shames me to think that you believe I am reprimanding you for being too kind. No, X, that is by far your greatest quality. The Elysians told you that you were to be sacrificed, and it actually _galvanized _you! My son, kindness can never be faulted."

"Then what is it?" X asked. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing that you could have changed," Light told him reassuringly. "But this is as far as Genoscythe's plan extends – you are, if I may, an X factor. And you are not alone. The others have survived. Selene and Axl are still in disguise, Alia has barricaded herself in the command room, and Marx and Nephtis have been rebuilt as Elysians."

"What?" X gasped. "Marx and Nephtis are _alive_?"

"And traversing the bowels of Elysium, him as a Purifier and her as a Mother unit."

"That's great!" X felt within him the sensation of old – everything was clear-cut again. He knew who he was fighting, and he knew who was on his side. "Wait, what about Zero?"

The image of Dr. Light turned away.

"Dad, _what about Zero_?"

"I don't know."

"You know about everybody else!"

Dr. Light sighed. "I don't know which way Zero will turn. He's on the edge – he may give in to the virus or he may be able to fight it off. I don't want to be pessimistic, but it appears that he does not have much time before he must make a decision."

"He's fought it off in the past," X argued.

"But he has never been able to conquer it, and all this time the virus has been building up strength. His dam may yet break. Keep in mind, you could clash with him again."

"What can I do to stop it?"

Dr. Light whipped back, determination glowing from his blurred face. "The only thing you can do right now is find Nephtis and Marx. I believe they are just now testing the limits of their new abilities."

* * *

Marx insisted on taking the lead, ostensibly because he was the one wearing armor. Nephtis would have been annoyed, but such an emotion couldn't compete with her relief at being alive again. Marx could play the tough guy all he wanted; she was satisfied just breathing again.

Of course, it was hard to relax knowing what she did about the factions of Elysium. How the Omegas, who were supposedly on _their _side, were actually infected with the Genocide Virus, progenitor of the Maverick virus, and intent on purging humanity. How the Alphas were merely trying to give them a fresh start. And now it seemed that the Omegas had won, thanks to a certain Megaman X.

"Turn left," Nephtis commanded, and Marx dutifully obeyed.

"So, where are we going? Y'know, since you just said all of Elysium is out to get us," he pointed out.

"We're going to the one person who _isn't _out to get us, and she's probably worse off than we are," she answered. "It's Alia. She's locked in the Omegas' command center, and they're sending Reaverbots to kill her."

_You're almost there, _Alia's thoughts fed directly into Nephtis's. _But so are they._

While communicating with both Marx and Alia, she tried to listen in on the enemy's transmissions and found that it was surprisingly easy to do all three of these things at once. However, the Elysians seemed to be speaking in code, which was disturbing because that meant they knew she was eavesdropping.

"The Elysians keep talking about 'chameleons'," Nephtis told Marx and Alia. "That's the only word I can understand."

_Same here. I think they're talking about Selene and Axl, _Alia suggested.

"I was hoping that would be obviou – Marxlookout!"

Marx jumped back, pushing her protectively behind him. He could not see the Reaverbots marching around the corner, but Nephtis could feel them just as she felt her own limbs shaking.

"What?" he hissed quietly.

"Just because I don't have any armor or weapons doesn't mean I can't defend myself," she snapped, ignoring his question.

"Oh, come on. I know how tough you are, but you're going a little too far to prove it to yourself."

Nephtis sighed, closing her eyes. In spite of the tense situation, Marx felt a chill run up his neck at the sensation of her breath on his skin. Before he could stop her, she slipped out from behind him just as a row of Reaverbots turned the next corner. Marx raised his buster, but Nephtis held it down.

"What are you doing?" he cried, but she did not hear. Nephtis felt each Reaverbot, and the Reaverbots seemed to know it. They stood at attention, with their buster arms lowered and their shields put aside. She raised her arm, and they whipped off passable salutes with their busters.

"I told you, I can take care of myself," Nephtis insisted.

"Did you just…give us a fighting chance?" Marx asked, awestruck. The Reaverbots bowed in reply.

"It's like moving a finger. They're a part of me," she explained wistfully.

"Cool. Maybe this little finger puppet army of yours can help us rescue Alia," he suggested, dry appreciation in his voice. Nephtis smiled, and turned the formation of machines around with a twitch of her thoughts.

"I knew this body couldn't be completely useless."

"Can it take over other Reaverbots?"

Nephtis swept her arms back and forth experimentally, as if reaching out to feel for the presence of other minions. "Nope. At least, none of the ones farther away. The Mother unit in charge of these Reaverbots is on the other side of Elysium. It looks like they get harder to command the more distant they are, and it doesn't help that she's half-crazy."

"Are they all like that?" said Marx.

"No," Nephtis replied as they continued toward the command center. "Some of them are completely crazy."

_Nephtis? They're at the door! _Alia mentally cried out.

"Shit," she replied, taking off at a sprint past her new minions. Marx eyed the handful of docile Reaverbots warily before following suit. He expected the machines to turn on him any second – how did they know this wasn't an Elysian trap? Both Marx and Nephtis had already been taking their new bodies for granted, and perhaps they weren't as strong as they thought.

As Marx turned the last corner, he found it to be quite the opposite. Nephtis stood, tensed, in front of another row of Reaverbots. Their barrel-shaped bodies and battering-ram arms hovered just as motionless as she did. When it was clear that the Reaverbots weren't a threat, Nephtis relaxed, and the siege machines parted before her on cue.

"Just when I think I'm better than you at something..." Marx muttered, spinning the barrel of his now-superfluous buster. The tan woman flashed him a wry grin, and they walked up to the pocked doorway side by side. It slid open – laboriously, due to the Reaverbots' remodeling job – with a wave of Nephtis's hand.

"Ham sandwich!" Alia shrieked, poised on the other side of the door and clutching Darius in her outstretched hands. He warbled pleasantly at the sight of his owners, even though one of Alia's fingers was obscuring his right eye.

"Hi, Alia," Marx said.

"Ham...sandwich?" she repeated, lowering the metool and straightening her posture.

"Good thing we opened that door instead of your new fanclub, huh?" he asked, walking past her and patting her on the shoulder.

Nephtis filed in after him, and leaned in toward Alia's ear as she scooped Darius out of her stricken fingers. "I'm partial to turkey, actually."

"I knew it," Alia said. "I knew I screwed that up somehow."

"Like Marx said, you got lucky this time. So did we."

Alia leaned out of the doorway and scanned the growing mob of Reaverbots condensing in the hall. "Yeah. This time."

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say you can do it too," Marx said, now hunched over the main security console.

"Do what?" Alia asked.

"Control the Reaverbots," Nephtis answered. "It's quite easy. You spend most of your time telling people what to do anyway, so you should be better at it than I am."

Marx glanced up from the console for a brief moment, but he did a double take when he saw what was happening through the open doorway. "Akila? Is there some reason you're clogging the hall with pet 'bots?"

Nephtis turned around and followed the trail of Marx's gaze. The Reaverbot assembly was almost too thick to see through, and all types had gathered outside the Hunters' control room. Marx hadn't put much thought into his fan club remark, but at the moment, they really did give the impression of waiting for autographs.

"That's not me," she murmured. Alia, however, gave them both a sheepish shrug.

"You're right, it is easy. I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"Did you just...win the war for us?" Marx asked, even more cowed than before. Alia diverted her attention from the Reaverbot army and joined him at the console.

"Before we talk about winning anything, we need to find X and the others," she said. "We don't have much time. Eden has all the cards now, and once we're in orbit, he can begin the Carbon Re-initialization Program."

"Once it starts, how much time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes before the pylons are aligned and the wipers are running," Nephtis put in.

"Wipers? Why do you two know so much more about this than I do?"

"The vaporization beam emitters on the pylons. They're designed to wipe out any nearby Carbons," Alia answered.

"And because we're Mother units, while you, my love, are just a lowly Purifier." Nephtis followed up by playfully biting his neck, under pretense of getting a closer look at the monitors.

"So it's because you're women."

"Yes," Alia said.

"Exactly," Nephtis emphasized.

"I guess I got the short end of the deal with all the armor and weapons and junk."

"It looks that way," Alia said.

"Undoubtedly," Nephtis agreed.

"Fantastic."

* * *

Sigma paced Eden's control chamber, occasionally stopping to lean out of the hole blasted in the wall and gazing at the artificial sky projected above them. Purifier Delta hung motionless in his cradle of wires, seemingly unaware of the hulking Maverick's existence. This bothered Sigma, so he attempted to rectify the situation.

"When will we be in orbit?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Delta replied instantaneously. "And this is not a road trip, so if you ask again, I will have you thrown out of that nice, neat hole you helped make for Megaman X."

"Forgive my impatience," Sigma began, smirking. "It's just that I've waited a century for this moment, and I find it difficult to wait any longer."

"Don't talk to me about centuries, Sigma. You have no concept of time until you've made it through your first millennium."

Sigma's grin flipped, and he turned his back on Eden. "I expected more co-operation from you, Eden. We're on the same page, after all. Your plan for wiping out the human race? I suggested the same thing to the old Eden before you contacted me."

"Congratulations."

"There's only one part of the plan I want cleared up," Sigma said, deflecting the sarcasm and staring again at the motionless Elysian. "Will the Carbon Re-initialization Program damage the planet, or will it only target humans?"

"Sigma, please. I need to concentrate on the tasks at hand, not indulge your Oedipus complex."

"What did you say?" Sigma barked, taking two menacing steps forward. "I think you have your terms confused."

"I know exactly what an Oedipus complex is, and I know you have it bad. You want to murder your father so you can be with your mother. Your father, in this case, is Humanity, for creating you on a conceptual level. Your mother, the Earth, supplied her bountiful raw materials – neosteel, copper, energen – and, with the help of your father's vision, birthed the entire reploid race. Now, at the moment, Mother Earth is completely in love with Humanity, although there are signs of domestic abuse around. She'll never love you as long as Humanity is there, despite all the wars and environmental degradation going on. She'll say she just fell down the stairs. She bumped her head on a cabinet. She won't admit that it's a bad relationship. Which leaves you, the dutiful son, the task of vaporizing your father and giving your mother the treatment you think she deserves."

"You know nothing about my motives," Sigma growled, though he was more shaken than he wanted to let on.

"And you understand metaphor almost as poorly as you understand time," Delta chided. "But fear not, Oedipus. There will still be enough of your planet left for you to plow once the Genocide Program is complete."

"You're sick," Sigma spat.

"Hey, you're the one with the complex. I'm just putting it into words."

Before Sigma could retort, the main entrance opened and Tempest swept up to the Maverick leader's shadow. Stealth Claw had entered with him, but he chose to post himself by the door to facilitate a quick exit.

"I've been meaning to speak with you, Tempest," Delta said.

"Read my mind, huh?" Tempest replied, clicking his mandibles. "I still get to go first."

"I have a feeling we both want to discuss the same thing."

Tempest lifted one of his incongruous arms, welded messily to the stump of his left arm and the socket of his right. Not only was his right arm shorter than the left, it dangled uselessly at his side. While reports on the outlaw had often described his methods as surgical, Tempest turned out to be terrible at real surgery.

"It occurs to me that your killer instincts would fit well in a Reaverbot's body," Delta told him.

"I was just gonna ask for better arms."

"You would rather have the body. Trust me."

"Is this one of those 'looks-like-a-choice-but-really-isn't' kind of deals?" Tempest rubbed his jagged chin with twitching, unresponsive fingers. "I like my body."

"Yeah, this is one of those deals," Delta said with finality. "When not under direct control from a Mother unit, Reaverbots tend to become feral. I want to see what we can do with a fully sentient Reaverbot."

"And you're making me the guinea pig?"

"There's not much else I can do with you." If Delta's face had been visible, Tempest was sure he could have seen a smile there. It enraged him, but the truth put a damper on his fury. There wasn't much else he could do, in his current state. Even if Delta weren't protected by a force field, Tempest could barely get his left hand to stop jittering long enough to strangle the smug bastard with it.

"Okay," the criminal said. "But I'd better be a goddamn terror after this. I'm serious. I want biblical amounts of destruction at my fingertips."

"I knew you had the right mind for the job."

"And I want the bitch that took away my arms in the first place."

"Good, because that's exactly what we need you to take care of for us."

"Why haven't you dealt with them already?" Sigma snarled. "I thought the Maverick Hunters trusted you."

"Most of them are no longer Maverick Hunters. They've been reborn as Elysians, and I thought it would be just as easy to spread my influence to them as it was to the rest of Elysium."

"But it wasn't," he said.

"No, and before you ask, I don't know why. Something is preventing me from influencing their – "

"Just say infecting," Sigma cut in. "No need for pretensions. You are carrying a computer virus, and they're immune."

"Fine," Delta snapped. "They're immune to the Genocide Virus, but they can still access our hive mind. They know what's happened."

"Well, give me a killer new body, and I can take care of that for you," Tempest interjected, tapping his foot impatiently. He had gotten used to the idea of being a Reaverbot, mostly because he enjoyed the name and all its deathly connotations.

"I can do better than that," the new Eden told him. "You. Reploid by the door."

Stealth Claw's ears swiveled forward, and he pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against.

"What is it? Sir?" he asked, unsure where he stood in the Elysium hierarchy, or even what their leaders liked to be called.

"You're no good to me in your current form. I'm giving you a Reaverbot body as well."

"It's not like mine, is it?" Tempest asked.

"You're in no position to feel entitled to anything, outlaw. Is this understood, Reploid by the Door?"

Stealth Claw didn't know what to say. He was so far out of his depth in the Elysian civil war that all he really wanted was to go home. He wanted to be with Mystic. He didn't even care if there were humans around anymore. He would have given anything to feel her buried in his fur again.

Which was why he believed, at first, that the blonde reploid that walked through the doorway next to him was a figment of his desperate imagination. Then, Tread Havoc lumbered in after her, and he concluded that under no circumstances would he want to imagine a schizophrenic two-legged tank in the room with his beloved. It had to be real.

"Mystic," Claw murmured, too shocked by her proximity and her red dress to say more. It was wrinkled and dirty by now, but his weariness and his love for her willed the imperfections out of existence. He felt ready to collapse, either at her feet or anywhere in the vicinity.

"I found her wandering the maintenance halls," Havoc explained. "She's been separated from the Maverick Hunters for some time."

"Pyre Mystic, a spy and protege of one of our late commanders," Sigma told Delta, by way of introduction. "She will make an adequate guinea pig, since she has turned out to be such a useless assassin."

"I what?" Mystic mumbled, gazing achingly at Stealth Claw. She slowly advanced toward him. "Love, what are they talking about?" she asked him, her voice hushed.

"See what I mean?" Sigma said.

"There are plenty of Kamarahan shells for all of you," Delta announced. "Even you, Oedipus."

"Call me that again, and I'll..."

"What? Menace me to death?"

Sigma realized that he had been subconsciously extending one of his clawed gauntlets toward Delta, and the tips of his three machete-sized claws had been burned away by Eden's force field. With a grunt, Sigma took a step back and whipped around to address his minions.

"You heard Eden. You'll be piloting Reaverbot shells until our mission is complete."

"But..." Mystic began, and she gripped Stealth Claw's paw for support. "I'm not cut out for that kinda thing."

"You've never been very good at following orders, so I'll make this simple," Sigma snarled. He approached Mystic and curled his recently-manicured gauntlet around her waist. "Wherever the guards go, you go with them. Whatever they do to you, you let them do it. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be brief and full of agony. Is that simple enough?"

Mystic's eyes lit up with tears, and Claw gave her hand a squeeze. "We'll do it," he said to Sigma.

"You've proven yourself a valuable soldier, Claw," the Maverick leader said. "See that it gets done."

Stealth Claw shot Pyre Mystic a reassuring glance once Sigma turned his back, and the chill in her mechanical limbs started to dissipate. Their bond no longer required words, and the unspoken agreement was that neither of them would be 'piloting' a Kamarahan, nor would the rest of their lives be brief or full of agony. Neither one had a plan, and they knew it, but they had each other, and at the moment, that seemed like enough.

* * *

Axl trudged down another empty corridor, propping Selene up with his shoulder as they searched for a familiar face in the endless gray labyrinth.

"How will we know if they're one of ours?" Axl asked his partner.

"We'll know if they try to kill us," she replied. Axl's copy DNA had faded, although Selene's disguise generator, designed to simply project an illusion rather than alter its user's abilities, remained functional. They didn't expect the Alphas to hesitate for long if they saw an enemy reploid dragging a wounded Elysian around, but it was the only meager advantage left up their sleeves.

"You wouldn't happen to remember the way back to the Omegas' side of the island, would you?" Axl asked.

"I don't even know which direction we're going in right now," Selene muttered. "My compass is malfunctioning."

"Mine, too. I thought it was just me."

"Why hasn't anyone contacted us?" Selene mused. "Genoscythe knows we can't find our way around this place without directions."

"I called X, but he's not responding."

"Do you think they failed?"

"No," Axl said, shaking his head. "Not X."

They arrived at a door and, feeling exposed in the long hallway, Axl pulled it open and they threw themselves inside. The room was dark, but large, flickering blue screens along the high walls provided an ethereal illumination. In the center of the room, a miniature ziggurat pocked with glowing red eyes and matching circuitry rose up to meet the monitors above them. A dark metal sphere hovered at the ziggurat's peak, and to Axl's dismay, it swiveled around to reveal a pointed, cycloptic head jutting from its side.

"Damn it, not again," he muttered. "Can't we get a break?"

The Reaverbot's eye lit up in negative response, and it fired a thin beam that would have sliced through both Selene and Axl had they not pushed off of each other at the last instant. Two pincer-like hands descended from the ceiling, hovering around the Reaverbot's body before launching at the reploids and pinning them to the ground.

Selene screamed as the pincer closed on her wounded chest plate, but the pressure stopped as the door opened again.

"One break, comin' up!" a familiar voice cackled, followed immediately by a rush of hot air and the piercing whine of a laser cannon. Selene felt the Reaverbot's pincer arm go slack, and she shoved it off as quickly as she could. The machine's smoldering body rolled down the steps of the ziggurat, and came to rest in front of their savior.

"I was excited for just a second, there," Axl groaned. "Until I realized it was you, Malakai."

The ropy Elysian lowered his beam rifle and shoved the large Reaverbot away with his foot. "Man, if you only knew how excited you _should_ be to see me instead of, I dunno, _anyone else_."

"What do you mean?" Selene asked.

"You don't know, do you?" Malakai asked, and Selene noticed for the first time that he wasn't wearing a helmet, and that half of his curtain of black hair had been shaved off. The bare half of his head was lined with cuts and sealed with thumb-sized bolts. "I guess you wouldn't know, or else you would've tried to shoot me by now."

"Wait, first tell us what happened to you," she said.

"Jeez. Too many questions. Can you, possibly, take a chill capsule while I work through these one at a time?"

"Whatever Genoscythe did to you, it obviously hasn't done too much for your personality," she said.

"Funny you should say that," Malakai said, loping casually to the ziggurat and sitting down on the bottom step. "I found a way around that. Reaverbot bashed me in the head, gave me an idea. Escaped from the battle. Did a little self brain surgery. Just thinking about it almost killed me, but I didn't care. I was pissed. I wanted my brain back, or I wanted to die trying."

"So...you're back to your original self?" Axl asked.

"I don't get my insides torn up every time I try to do something Delta doesn't like. That's close enough, right?"

"But you were an Alpha before," Selene pointed out.

"You're about to tell us this is a trap, and we have to come with you or else you'll give us really bad haircuts, right?" Axl said.

"Ordinarily, yeah. But now it's too late. The Alphas lost. Delta's taken over, and he got the whole System as part of the deal. If it weren't for all the shit I scraped out of my head, I'd be in it too."

"X was supposed to take over Eden," Selene interjected.

"Yeah, that was one of the many lies I wasn't allowed to warn you guys about," Malakai grunted. "Now I'm completely cut off, and you're probably the only people here who won't shoot me on sight."

"What happened to X?" Axl asked, terror slowly creeping up his neosteel spine. Genoscythe had betrayed them. X wasn't answering his comm. There weren't many ways to interpret that kind of evidence.

"Damned if I know," Malakai said, and Axl's hopes fell further. "The plan was to kill him after he helped Delta get past Eden's shields. I didn't find out if they went through with it or not."

"Then we have to help him!" the young reploid exclaimed. "If he's still alive, he'll need it."

"Who died and put you in charge, kid?" Malakai snapped, though his tone was more weary and less acidic than it used to be. "Your first mistake is assuming that X is still alive. Your second mistake is trying to order me around. Your third mistake is thinking that, even if X _is_ alive, we could do anything to help him. Your fourth mistake is trying to order me around."

"I think he's got some brain damage," Selene remarked.

"Maybe you didn't notice, Tiny Tits, but I really hate being ordered around." Malakai got to his feet on wobbly legs, and pointed his beam rifle arm at the door. "We're still in the Security Block. Our best chance right now is to get back to the command center. Even if they've taken Alia, we should still be able to find some of our stuff there."

"Then what?" Axl asked, following Malakai as he walked out the door. The black-clad Elysian looked back at him.

"Then we murder the son of a bitch who tried to order me around."

* * *

X woke to find himself slumped against a cracked marble wall in the gardens of Elysium. Somehow, he expected to wake up in Dr. Light's lab, a place he had never seen with his own eyes, yet a place that seemed to be woven into the very fabric of his mind. Part of the feeling came from the sense that Dr. Light was still with him.

"X..." Light's disembodied voice echoed. "I have finished analyzing traces of the computer virus that the Elysians carry. It is just as I hoped."

"You knew about Genoscythe's virus?" X said aloud, then shut his mouth sheepishly despite the fact that he was alone in the garden.

"They wanted me to program it into you, actually," he said, chuckling. "A complex behavior modifier that could transmit to other machines. I didn't know what it meant, but it sounded dangerous to me. I retooled the code into...well, I suppose you could say it became _me_."

"You're a virus?" X gasped. The warm wave of nostalgia he had been riding seemed like it was about to break.

"No," Dr. Light said with another fatherly chuckle. "But I can transmit copies of myself to other machines. For instance, all of your friends."

"You're in all of them?"

"Yes, I was even transferred along with the minds of your allies when they were turned into Elysians. I installed myself before you all left, as a safety precaution. And, since I know so much about this virus's code, I can protect you from it."

X stood up. Despite all his previous injuries, he felt perfectly limber and refreshed.

"I can also lead you back to your friends, if you are ready."

He gazed at the false sunset burning overhead. "We don't have much time, do we?"

"Hardly any at all, X."

"Then I'm ready."

* * *

Mistress Yuna waited patiently at the vault door to the Master's displacement prison as the locks hissed and clicked open one by one. According to Eden, the Master was no longer conflicted over his place in the System, and he was eager to join him in the main tower. However, the Master was having some trouble remembering the way, so it fell upon Yuna to lead him once the vault was open. Mistress Yuna didn't mind. She was just glad the System had been reunified after so many years of conflict.

The displacement prison gave a final shudder, then the vault slid apart. Out of the blinding orange sunlight, a tall, long-haired figure emerged. A blue robe was draped over his crimson armor, and the neat hole burned through the center of the robe occasionally snagged on the corners of his chest plate.

"Welcome back, Master," Yuna said, bowing her head so that she could see nothing but the floor. "I hope you had a pleasant time away from all that unpleasantness."

"Thank you, Yuna," he replied. He reached out, tilting her chin up and paternally stroking her cheek with bloodstained white gloves. "I hear I'm needed at the tower."

"I'll take you there right away, Master," she said, flashing her PR smile and clutching his hand. The vault behind him began to ease shut, but before it did, Yuna caught a glimpse of an empty shell lying on the steps of the Master's temple. It had long, green hair and a gash burnt into its chest. She ignored it and began leading the Master by the hand toward his destiny.

**End of Chapter 39**

P.S. I will award 500 Genobucks to the first person who can spot the Van Halen reference in this chapter. Also, if you're looking for a good time and you've happened to play the FPS horror _F.E.A.R,_ one of the only two fanfics that I've actually finished (and the only one of those two that I'm actually proud of) is a _F.E.A.R. _spoof called _Origins_. I suppose it's not essential to have played the game, but you'll otherwise be kinda lost and you'll miss out on some inside jokes. Anyway, give it a look while you're waiting for the next chapter, since it could very well be another Presidential term before it comes out.


	41. Chapter 40: Pariah

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 40: Pariah

By Genoscythe

AN: Dragon! Glad to see you're still onboard, man. I hope the rest of the story will be worth the ridiculous wait.

* * *

Tempest was very nearly bubbling with excitement as Tread Havoc and a pair of trash can-sized Reaverbots escorted him to the nearby maintenance hangar – perhaps, in a less disturbing reploid chassis, 'bubbling' would have been a more fitting verb, but Tempest's gnarled, insectile face and tattered black cloak fell short of the description. Between Tempest and Havoc, Stealth Claw and Pyre Mystic marched dutifully, never speaking or gesturing to one another. They weren't under suspicion yet, and they had to keep that advantage intact until the others were distracted.

"This is gonna be great!" Tempest cried. "As long as you don't put me in one of these oversized dreidels. Why the hell do you even have these?"

One of their Reaverbot escorts spun around to face him as it continued to hover forward.

"Look, it's smiling. Do me a favor and give me a body that can't smile."

"You will get what Eden assigns you," Havoc told him. "That's how Elysium runs. You will need to get used to it if you are to become part of the System."

"I'm a little worried, I'll be honest. You guys are acting like this new body won't be as murderific as I thought it would be."

"We never said it would be...murderific," the former Elysian said, spitting out the last Tempestism as if it tasted foul in his mouth. "It's not the body we're worried about so much as the mind we're putting inside it."

"Boss man seemed to think it was a good idea."

"Let me rephrase that, then. _I'm_ worried about the mind we're putting inside a Kamarahan – which, you'll be happy to know, is the most powerful shell in our arsenal."

"That's not saying a whole lot," Tempest muttered, kicking one of their escorts and grimacing in dark delight as it tripped over one of its hover pods and crashed to the floor. It continued to roll back and forth until Havoc picked it back up as he walked past.

They arrived shortly at the Reaverbot hangar, and Tempest was the first to enter. From the hallway, Havoc could hear the appreciative whistle within.

"Wow. Remind me to send that Eden guy a gift basket of severed heads or something," he called, and as Havoc turned into the doorway, he saw that the criminal was already feeling along one of the Kamarahan's reploid-sized talons. Even in a four-legged crouch, it stood sixteen feet tall at the height of the ridged spinal blades on its back, which distracted Stealth Claw at first from the rows of beam cannons lining its flanks. Its head hung low – one giant, serrated mouth – but Claw could still see the gleam of a cycloptic red eye set inside the war machine's jaws, where a throat should have been. If the teeth, the claws, the serrated spine or the beam cannons couldn't get the job done, it was also equipped with a saurian tail that ended in a jagged spear.

"Really," Tempest began, genuinely shocked. "Thanks for lowering my expectations. This is awesome."

"Since you are so enthusiastic, you can go first," Havoc snapped, waving an armored fist at a gurney plugged in next to the Reaverbot by ropes of black cable. Claw looked around the room and saw two more Kamarahan shells, one blue and one red to differentiate from Tempest's black shell.

"Yes, please," Tempest said, mandibles chittering at record speeds. He circled the Reaverbot's paw and hopped onto the gurney, lowering his chitinous head beneath a brace containing a large refractor on the far end of the table. Their escorts hovered around him, tuning the machine with small manipulator arms that popped out of their chests. The red crystal over Tempest's head lit up, and the black cables filled with a crimson glow.

Stealth Claw hooked a padded finger through one of the EMP grenades strung around his waist, elbowing Mystic in the same motion. In the next instant, Tread Havoc was hit from behind by a baseball-sized object, and before he could turn around, every one of his primary systems shorted out in a blinding flash. Claw picked Mystic up by the ankles and slung her over his back, having been built with enough redundancies and backup programs to reboot immediately after the blast. Havoc and the Reaverbots were fully disoriented, and Tempest, as planned, was still being transferred into his new body.

Claw bolted out the door and ran down the hall as fast as his burden allowed, but to his surprise, Havoc barreled out after them. Half-blind, half-deaf, half-numb, he stumbled and tried to steady the artillery cannon on his shoulder with fingers that he couldn't feel.

"Behind us!" Claw yelled, and Mystic let go of his neck long enough to fling her hand out and fill the corridor with searing waves of flame. Havoc had to let go of his cannon to protect his face from the heat wave, and by the time it subsided, the two reploids were gone. It was a shame, too. He was fairly certain they would have helped him defeat Sigma and overthrow Eden if he had gotten the chance to ask them.

**Havoc...** a rumbling, groggy voice reverberated from within the Reaverbot hangar. **I'm ready. Point me in the direction of the Egyptian whore.**

**

* * *

**Endymion sat perched atop a catwalk in what appeared to be an endless manufacturing plant for the Elysians' guard robots. A web of similar catwalks criss-crossed the abyssal space below him, and next to them, conveyor belts laden with Reaverbot parts trundled past. It seemed like no work was being done on the parts, but they passed through hollow columns filled with blue light at regular intervals. Whatever the Elysians were doing to their army, it was beyond Endymion's comprehension.

It was just as well, because the only thing on his mind was how, for the first time in his relatively brief lifespan, he was completely, utterly alone. He had been betrayed by the Maverick Hunters, he was now considered a threat to the Elysians, and he wouldn't join the Mavericks if they were the last reploids on Earth. Outcast, simply because he was dedicated to his job.

He was a Maverick Hunter. He was designed to do one thing exceedingly well: retire Mavericks. He had nothing else. X and Selene didn't understand that, and how could they? They had each other, they had lovers, friends, talents, hobbies. To Endymion, they were all the same thing – his love, his talent, his hobby all resided in hunting down renegade reploids. And they wanted to imprison him for it.

Endymion knew that Mystic was a Maverick, and if the others were as dedicated as him, then they would have seen it as their duty to retire her. They were not good Hunters. Endymion didn't understand why she was different to them, or why his pursuit of her was anything less than exemplary work.

The cat was another matter. That was personal, a concept that Endymion never thought he would encounter in his entire professional career. He never thought he would find a Maverick that could escape him, either. With a wound, no less. He moved, for the first time in over half an hour, to feel along the scars scribbled down his face. It was an insult, made all the worse by the fact that, without Mystic's intervention, he would have retired Stealth Claw during their first duel, and none of this would have happened.

Endymion was going to rectify the situation. He was a good Hunter. So good, in fact, that he planted a tracking bug on Mystic while he was interrogating her about Claw's whereabouts, and he could see in his mind's eye that she was heading straight for the manufacturing plant, and would be passing under his vantage point within five minutes.

He was a Maverick Hunter. Mystic was a Maverick. He would do his duty, but first, he would get her to help him with a small personal matter.

* * *

"What are we gonna do?"

"We're getting out of here, blondie."

"Where are we gonna go?"

"Home, baby."

"How?"

Stealth Claw stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned toward Mystic. Gently but firmly, he placed his paws on either side of her face, so that she appeared to be wearing slate-gray earmuffs. "I don't know," he said. "But I'm done with this war. I want to run away with you like I should have done the moment we met."

"What if it's too late for that?" Mystic asked, burying her hands in the paws cradling her face.

"Then you can blame me for everything."

She turned her head to the side and kissed the palm of his paw. "Stupid kitty," she murmured, mashing her nose into the rough padding on his hand. Claw's stern expression broke down, and he pulled her headfirst into a desperate hug.

"We'll keep moving until we hit the edge of this place," he said, trying to focus on business to keep from being overwhelmed by the strange mix of emotions brewing in his thoughts. Fear, despair, and incandescent love all vied for domination, and the struggle was becoming unbearable. "It has to end somewhere."

"I have bad news," Mystic mumbled, trying to speak through the crushing force of his embrace.

"This shitty excuse for a Promised Land doesn't end?" he asked, baring his teeth in a feline grin.

"No, not that. The silver Hunter is here."

"Endymion..." Claw hissed, baring his teeth in a similar but far more menacing expression. "Surprise, surprise."

"He found me once already. He would have killed me, except..."

"Except what?"

"X saved me," she said, apologetically.

"That guy's doing a really good job of making me feel inadequate," Claw muttered. "How many times has he saved your life? And how many times have you saved mine?"

"Don't say that," she sighed, pulling back to look him in the slitted eyes. "We've got bigger things to worry about than your little rivalry with X – which, I should just state for the record, is totally unnecessary and kind of annoying."

"Ouch."

"Before Endymion tried to kill me, he was asking about you. He's obsessed. I've got this weird feeling like he's stalking us, or something."

"Good thing we're in the universe's largest underground maze," he said. "He's not gonna find us in here."

"I told you, he already found me once. I think he can do it again."

"Well, just in case he does..." Claw purred, letting go of her with one arm and unsheathing the jagged blades within. "We'll give him the old one-two. Slash and burn."

"I'm scared of him," Mystic said. He retracted his claws.

"That was supposed to make you feel more confident," he pointed out.

"It didn't work, doofus." She slapped him on the ear and ducked under his arms. Walking backwards down the corridor, she motioned for him to follow her. "Unless you want to stand around and wait for him to find us, we should kinda keep going."

After descending a wide spiral staircase, the couple emerged from the labyrinth of corridors into a gigantic room that stretched off into darkness below and on either side of them. The walkway they crept across ran parallel to a conveyor belt transporting a constant stream of hollow-eyed Reaverbot heads.

"This is not a fun room," Claw noted. "Let's pick up the pace, yeah?"

"Want to carry me again?" Mystic asked, but before she could close her mouth, a gout of blood burst from it, dotting Claw's fur with oily red beads. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he had just seen. Then, Mystic fell forward and he had to start believing fast in order to catch her. As soon as he touched her skin, something struck him in the face and sent him sprawling down the walkway. Mystic slumped to the floor, trembling and bleeding out of a deep gash in her back.

Claw flipped himself upright, locking in his blades with the same motion. It had to be Endymion, but he was cloaked, and in the factory's low lighting, he found it impossible to pinpoint the source of the attack.

"You bastard," he choked, unable for once to formulate a more long-winded taunt. "You complete bastard."

"I'm a Maverick Hunter. She was a Maverick. It's my duty," a voice chanted, somewhere in the vicinity of the Reaverbot assembly line. Claw was surprised that Endymion's professional attitude had deteriorated so far since they had last met. He now had a rough idea of the Hunter's location.

"If she dies..." Claw began.

"She'll die," Endymion interrupted. "Then what?"

"Then I'll do the same for you," the Maverick finished.

"It was my duty," the voice repeated, then the cloaking field melted away to reveal smooth, aerodynamic armor and a ruined face. "But this is personal."

* * *

Selene felt sick, although she could not explain why. Without realizing it, she had begun to fall behind Axl and Malakai, who were absorbed in bickering over the details of the Elysian's story. Axl, of course, didn't trust Malakai or his supposed 'brain surgery,' while Malakai continually reminded the young reploid that his newfound lack of restraint gave him the ability to noogie far more vigorously and painfully than he could before.

"Your head will bleed," Malakai warned. "I wasn't allowed to hurt you before, but now it's all fair game."

"I just don't buy it. If it was so easy for you to remove the control chip in your brain, why didn't you do it a long time ago?"

"What makes you think it was easy, Short Bus? Back on Terra, it wasn't worth the risk, because I was still pretty much myself. I expected Delta to lose anyway, so I just went along with it. Then he gave me that tune-up after we came here, and...you know what? I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Yes you do. We need to trust each other if we want to survive."

"I have a feeling you won't trust me no matter what I do, Short Bus."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Why? It fits you in all kinds of ways."

They stopped when they heard a heavy thud behind them, and Axl was horrified to see Selene on her knees, staring into the floor.

"Selene? Are you okay?" he asked, rushing to her side. Malakai snorted.

"Axl..." she gasped, and he noticed that she was swaying unsteadily. "I'm getting dizzy..."

Axl turned to Malakai. "What's happening to her?"

Malakai snorted again. "Excuse me? Am I a doctor?"

"You're one of _them_. Is this some kind of Elysian weapon?"

"No. Jeez, you are paranoid. She's probably glitching."

"Thanks for the help," Axl said. He grabbed Selene by the shoulders, and she leaned into the crook of his arm.

"I feel..." she groaned. "Dead."

"Well, then pick up her corpse and let's move," Malakai told Axl. "We're near the West end of the Reaverbot plant. There should be a teleporter on the other side that'll get us close to the command center."

"Genoscythe never told us about any teleporters," Axl said, picking up Selene and steadying her against his side.

"That's 'cause they were deactivated during the split. Since we're all one big happy family again, Eden should have switched them back on."

"You keep saying _should_."

"I make no promises, Short Bus."

The two continued to argue all the way to the Reaverbot factory, but as soon as they stepped onto the walkway, Selene shrieked and pitched forward. Axl tried to steady her, but she recovered on her own and walked dazedly toward the center of the bridge. Malakai and Axl exchanged glances, then followed her. Selene abruptly stopped, turned, walked to the edge of the bridge, and stared down at a catwalk below. By the time Axl reached her, she was wracked with sobs, and after mimicking her gaze, he found out why.

"Oh my god..." he said. Malakai, peeking over Axl's shoulder, saw the tableau and recoiled.

"Wow," he breathed. "That wasn't the Elysians."

"I know what it was," Axl said, clutching Selene's hand. The petite Hunter merely wept.

* * *

Claw jabbed at Endymion's defenses, hoping to catch one of his single blades between his claws, but the Hunter was too agile. He twisted and danced out of reach every time Claw struck, until he sidestepped instead and cracked his elbow against the Maverick's jaw. The distraction allowed Endymion a chance to stab Claw in the chest, but he underestimated the thickness of the Maverick's black armor, and the cat recovered immediately.

Claw slashed wildly, shearing ribbons of neosteel from Endymion's shoulders and chest plate. Grabbing his wrists, he pulled the silver reploid in and thrust his armored forehead into Endymion's nose. The synthetic cartilage crumpled, and viscous blood ran from his flattened nose into the scarred troughs dug in his face. He dashed away, crouching in a fighting stance as the fresh blood flowing down his scars made the cuts appear to be new again.

"Let us go," Stealth Claw pleaded. "We want to get out of this war."

"Mavericks don't get second chances," Endymion replied. "Don't tell me you think you can talk your way out of this, after what we've been through."

"I was hoping, yeah. It's not too late."

"It's _far_ too late," Endymion growled, trying to wipe the blood from his face.

"So I've heard," Claw said. "But I don't think it's true."

"One way or another, we're finishing this fight." The silver Hunter flicked his blades, and Mystic's blood spattered across the bridge. Claw was reminded of his beloved, who was struggling to push herself back onto her feet. The emotion cocktail shaking up in his brain ever since their conversation in the hallway finally coalesced into righteous fury. His vision turned a hazy red, and he felt his body making movements on its own. The Maverick Virus pushed him into the passenger's seat, and for once, he didn't mind. If the virus would help him defeat Endymion and save Mystic, he would gladly give his body up to it.

"Hmph. You've just proven my point, Maverick," Endymion spat, and Stealth Claw pounced with a feral growl, moving faster than he had ever done before. In two leaps, he was burying his claws into Endymion's chest. The Hunter hadn't expected his sudden increase in speed, and he could only manage an awkward retaliatory stab that caught in his opponent's metal ribs. Claw ripped his blades out, simultaneously kicking Endymion back onto the conveyor belt. The mad Hunter flipped and landed gracefully on the moving platform, but Claw was already on him again.

Endymion had recalibrated for the Maverick's amplified speed, and he flung out his right gauntlet. The blade plunged into Claw's neck, shearing servos and pistons in half but missing his all-important neuralnet hardline. Claw jerked his head back, dislodging himself from the blade, and swiped it away with his own gauntlet.

Without hesitating, Endymion skipped behind a Reaverbot head and kicked it at his opponent. Claw ducked under it and rushed down the conveyor belt, but Endymion was waiting for him, and he swung a right hook that sheared off the Maverick's left ear. Claw had difficulty turning his head, so he merely continued on and plowed into the Hunter shoulder-first. Their momentum carried them into another Reaverbot head, and they both ended up rolling across the conveyor belt into one of the mysterious pillars.

Claw shoved Endymion into the wall, positioning him for the killing blow. However, the blue energy crackling inside the column was interfering with his processor, and his reaction time was too slow. Endymion shifted out of the way as his claws buried in the wall, but instead of attempting another strike with his blades, the silver Hunter's chest plate blossomed open to uncover a short-range beam cannon. The interference was making it difficult to see, but from the ring of small, blinding dots around the interior of his chest armor, the cannon appeared to be scatter-shot. Even if Claw had the reflexes to jump out of the way, he was still trapped in the tight manufacturing pillar, and he would have to be practically behind the Maverick Hunter to avoid the blast. There was nothing he could do.

A pulse of white light flared out of the side of the column, heralding a storm of debris and a limp feline body that tumbled across the bridge. Stealth Claw eventually stopped with one arm hanging over the edge of the walkway, but he didn't have the strength to get to his feet. His armor was obliterated, and most of the unarmored parts of his body had the fur fused together into a mottled plastic tangle. Of all the emergency notices scrolling down the side of his vision, the one that superseded all others read:

**Direct Flash Beam Damage to Right Lower Abdominal Quadrant **

Right Heat Sink Inoperative

Residual Flash Beam Damage to Reactor Core

Epidermal Liquidation at 64%

Residual Flash Beam Damage to Cloaking Generator

Cloaking Generator Inoperative

Residual Flash Beam Damage to Left Hip Actuator 

Residual Flash Beam Damage to Right Hip Actuator

And so on. Claw could feel the gaping hole in his side, and he could feel with just as much certainty the damage his legs had sustained. He managed to flop onto his side, but this merely afforded him with a view of Endymion pulling himself out of the wreckage of the manufacturing column. The energen crystal in his helmet was blinking wildly – his flash beam cannon had drained him, and judging by his unsteady gait, he had almost nothing left. It was still more than what Claw had, and the grip of the Maverick virus faded with the realization that he had failed. He would be retired, just like the rest of his friends, followed soon by Mystic if she hadn't succumbed to her wounds already.

Endymion stumbled across the bridge toward him, blades extended, leaving pointed bootprints in the trail of blood that Claw had left behind. He stopped after only covering half the distance, and his head whipped around desperately, as if seeking some invisible enemy. At first, Claw didn't know what had spooked the reploid, but then he saw it. Ripples in the air, like a giant elemental fist, were shrinking and closing in on the silver Maverick Hunter. Claw could feel their heat from where he lay.

The heat waves suddenly rushed together and enveloped Endymion. What started as invisible currents of energy erupted into a solar fireball that seemed to sprout from the silver Hunter himself, spewing tongues of flame that, instead of escaping and dissipating, curved back in on their source to sear him anew. Endymion screamed, and the symphony of agony in his voice was almost as shocking to Claw as the moment when Mystic was struck down right in front of him.

The molten figure staggering inside the miniature sun collapsed to his knees, and the flames began to lessen. Still unable to move his neck, Claw rolled in the other direction until he could see that his beloved was on her feet, several yards away from where the two combatants had ended up. She dropped her extended arms, shaking with fury and exhaustion.

Claw looked back at Endymion, whose synthetic skin had been scorched from his face and hands. A glassy-eyed metal skeleton stared out at the cat from within a blackened helmet. His scream had trailed off and become merely a series of ragged gasps.

"Lie down," Claw said. "It's too late for you."

To the Maverick's astonishment, Endymion rose to his feet again. He raised his gauntlet, aiming it at Claw's head. Then, Mystic brought her hands back together and a firestorm exploded out of the holes in the Hunter's armor. He howled again, and his chest plate burst open as the intense heat overloaded his flash beam cannon. Molten metal poured out of Endymion's wailing mouth, and he began to choke on his own liquidating insides.

"It's over," Claw told him gently. "You're done."

With a great deal of resistance, Endymion finally pitched sideways and landed face down, still burning and leaking smoldering neosteel. Despite the massive hole in his gut, on top of all the other little emergency notifications that continued to scroll off to the edge of his vision, Claw was appalled at himself and Mystic for what they'd done. Endymion was right. They were Mavericks. They chose the path that led them to this moment, and they were responsible for dragging him down with them.

As Claw ruminated, he failed to notice that Mystic had crouched next to him, but her arms around his half-severed neck brought him back to reality.

"Believe it or not, that's painful," he told her, but if she heard him, she gave no signs of relinquishing her hold on him. "Are you okay?"

"Why don't you take a guess, doofus," she replied, choking once on a sob.

"Okay, we'll play it like that. Are you still bleeding?"

"My body auto-cauterized," she said. "He nicked my reactor, but it's sealed now."

"I had no idea you could do something like that..."

"Yeah, well, we find out all kinds of things about ourselves when we see that our lovers are about to be stabbed to death."

"Or when we think they already have been," Claw added.

"Or that," Mystic said tersely.

"We can't stay here," Claw said, glancing involuntarily at the twisted, cooling husk that had soldered itself to the bridge floor. "I'm in bad shape, blondie. Like, not-sure-if-I-can-walk bad."

Mystic tugged on the big cat, forcing him to stand. The best he could do was lean on her.

"We'll make it," she said, and they took an experimental step. Claw survived, though it was clear that he wouldn't be breaking any more speed records for awhile.

"Unfortunately, I'm not as confident as I was earlier today," he muttered, as they hobbled toward the opposite end of the bridge.

"We'll make it," Mystic repeated. "Me and Endymion were wrong. It's not too late for us."

"You're just saying that to make me keep walking, babe."

"It's working, isn't it?"

* * *

Axl's protests fell on deaf ears as Selene hopped from their catwalk down to the bridge below, where Endymion's blasted skeleton had melted into the floor. Swathes of dried blood coated the walkway, and the nearby conveyor belt had been shut down to keep from dumping Reaverbot heads into the smoking crater where a maintenance pod once stood.

By the time Axl hovered to Selene's side, she had stopped crying. He was impressed with her fortitude – the sight of Endymion's corpse was even more gruesome up close than it was from above. He felt a desperate need to say something consoling, but it was more for himself than for Selene.

"He's better off now," Axl said. "Something was eating him his whole life."

"Axl..." Selene began, shaking her head. "Just don't say anything right now."

"Sorry," he said. "I was just trying to – "

"You don't understand what he was to me," she snapped. "He was a part of me. It's a feeling I can't describe, and now it's gone."

Axl decided his time would be better spent fighting the lump in his throat than saying anything else that he might later regret.

"I don't even know how to honor something like that," she continued absent-mindedly. "It would be like...saying my own funeral rites."

"I can help make up your mind for you," Malakai called from the walkway above them. "Leave his extra-crispy ass on the ground and get the hell away from that broken conveyor belt, 'cause you can bet Eden knows about it. This must've happened about five or ten minutes ago, it's a miracle we haven't been caught already."

"Don't you have any sense of respect?" Axl shouted. "For anything?"

"I'll leave the respect to you kids," Malakai replied. "Someone's got to take care of the common sense, and I don't think I could handle both at once."

"Screw you!"

"Axl!" Selene said. Axl's mouth clamped shut. "He's right. He's disgusting, but right."

"Thank you," Malakai said.

"We're almost back to the command center, right, Malakai?"

"You can bet your deep-fried brother we are."

"Then let's..." she stopped for a moment to glare venomously at the Elysian. "Let's go. There's no point wasting time here."

Malakai joined them on the lower bridge, and they crossed the rest of the distance without so much as a single word spoken. They tensed when they reached the other side, and two claw-armed Reaverbots stood on either side of the doorway.

"I knew it was too good to be true," Malakai grunted, readying his beam rifle.

_Hello, Malakai, _the Reaverbot said, in a voice that sounded remarkably like Alia's. _Selene, Axl, we're so glad you're safe._

"Alia?" Axl murmured.

_Yes, _the lanky machine confirmed. _We have a lot to explain. These Reaverbots will escort you back to the command center._ At that, they both turned around and began filing through the doorway.

"Hot damn," Malakai said. "She's figuring out how Mother units work. This'll be easier than I thought."

"What will?" Axl asked, with a suspicious edge to his tone.

"Didn't I make it clear to you before, Short Bus? I have a plan."

"No, and stop calling me that."

* * *

A solitary maintenance Reaverbot scuttled up to the debris blocking Manufacturing Plant Access Path 133, and determined the wreckage to be a shell for sentient machine life. It clambered up the shell's melted sides, slipping on the smoothed edges and sweeping fins of the machine's armor. It reached the helmet and did a cursory scan for data storage devices. The scan came up negative. All processing and backup devices were burnt beyond recognition, and no useful data existed for a personality rebuild.

The Reaverbot sent a signal to its comrades, and soon, the shell was swarming with tiny machines that picked and chipped away parts until all that remained was a blackened outline, and when the cleaning Reaverbots made their rounds, not even that was left behind.

**End of Chapter 40**

**AN: I apologize for the support-character-heavy chapter, but I want to tie up as many loose ends as I can while I still have the itch to write Megaman fanfiction. Besides, this chapter has been in my head for over four years, and it feels really, really satisfying to finally have it out there on the internet. Also, I may not be a furry, and in almost all cases I find the whole furry thing kind of disturbing, but I really enjoy writing Mystic and Claw together. Maybe there's a little furry inside us all?  
**


	42. Chapter 41: Countdown to Genocide

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 41: Countdown to Genocide

By Genoscythe

AN: Hey Maiorem, it's great to hear from you again. It's readers like you and Dragon Man that keep me coming back to fanfiction, even though I mentally moved on a long time ago (although it seems like I've mentally moved back in, if my recent activity is any indicator). To answer your question about the Zero series, I will definitely not be connecting Zero to X and Legends. I realize it's a very popular series, and Capcom has wedged it into the canon right where I intended to place the events of this story, but I've been kicking this idea around ever since I saw the X/Legends teaser moment in one of the endings in X5, which was two years before Zero came out. I had played Zero before starting this 'fic, but the convoluted plot and weird visuals turned me off to the series, and I decided to stick with my original idea. Oddly, the convoluted plot and weird visuals are what turn some people off to the Legends series, but I suppose it all depends on what brand of convoluted and weird you prefer.

Speaking of which, just in case any of you have missed this epic bit of news, I'll let you know right here: _**Megaman Legends 3 Has Officially Been Announced By Keiji Inafune.**_ After ten years, Capcom is finally making another sequel for my favorite Mega Man franchise. Before I heard this, I was all ready to go on a rant at the start of this chapter about how Capcom churns out sequels by the truckload for series' I don't care about, but leaves the series with the best plot, characters, and immersion high and dry with only two games. Now I don't have to. Thank you, Mr. Inafune. That is all.

* * *

Megaman X had lived long enough to know when he was being watched, and now the sensation struck him with tangible force. He was navigating the marble gardens and empty temples of Elysium's crust, and he knew that, at any moment, something would try to kill him. He did not owe this knowledge to any special sensory abilities or warrior wisdom, but to the plain fact that something was _always_ trying to kill him.

Dr. Light had fallen silent again, but X was comforted by the thought that his father permanently resided in him as an AI program. Whether he spoke or not, he would always be there to watch over X. Even though he did not communicate it directly, he was gently influencing X toward a small cylindrical spire in the distance. He knew, instinctively, that there was an elevator inside that would take him to his team. Despite Dr. Light's assurances, X was worried about Alia, and he quickened his pace with the hope of seeing her face again slightly sooner.

X's desire for Alia saved his life, as a green arc of plasma slashed through the wall just as he started to run. The azure reploid skidded to a halt and brought up his buster arm to the rising whine of gathering energy. Whatever had attacked him on the other side of the wall chose not to make a second attempt, but X knew it had to be nearby. He vaulted over the wall just as his buster reached full charge, but he found himself unable to fire even as his assailant's fist smashed him in the jaw.

_It's Zero..._ X realized as he was thrown back over the wall, landing heavily on a fallen marble column. He squinted up into the blazing orange sky, and the silhouette balancing on the wall couldn't have been anyone else. His old friend wore a blue robe loosely around his shoulders, and his eyes had turned a piercing red, but he was otherwise unchanged.

"Zero!" X cried, pushing himself to his feet and backing up over the column after he had regained his footing. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Zero said, though the cadence of his voice was deeper, smoother. It was almost another voice entirely. "For the first time in a long time, nothing is wrong with me."

"You've been fighting this virus all your life, Zero. Giving in now is definitely a sign that something's wrong."

"That's been my problem, X," he told him, hopping down from the wall. X took several more cautious steps backward. "I've been fighting it, and you have no idea how miserable that's made me over the last century."

"That's because you weren't miserable. I was by your side the whole time. I know."

"But you don't!" Zero suddenly yelled. "I didn't tell you everything. How could I?"

"I was there for you," X said. As Zero became louder, X's voice became proportionately softer.

"But you weren't Iris," he pointed out.

"Is that what this is all about?" X asked plaintively.

"You know, I've killed both of our lovers," Zero said, abruptly turning conversational again. "Do you ever think about that?"

X was silent for a moment. Calliope and Iris flashed before him, side by side, both cleaved open by a green beam saber. "I try not to."

"That's difficult to do, isn't it, X?"

"Yes."

"Wrong!" Zero shouted again. "It was impossible."

"Don't do this because of them," X said, near-whispering.

"I know, they _wouldn't want this_," Zero said, burning X with the mockery in his tone. He was about to tell him exactly that. "Well, I don't know about Iris. She went mad, before I killed her. She might approve of my decision."

"Zero, stop." X was no longer speaking softly.

"And Calliope might, for that matter. Maverick Virus. Tends to make people favor genocide."

X swung up and fired his buster so quickly that a semi-charged bolt caught Zero squarely on the shoulder, spinning him around and tearing the robe from his armor. When he came back around, his beam saber was in the process of hissing to life.

"Ah, I remember the last time we did this little tango of death," Zero said as he killed his momentum by crouching in a combat stance. "Looks like you've gotten used to the idea of fighting me."

"I just wanted to knock some sense into you, my friend," X replied. "This won't help you with the guilt. Come back to us."

"It really does help, though," Zero said with a crooked smile. "I don't care anymore. Zero's crimes are his own. I am the Master now."

"You're Genoscythe's puppet!"

"Still better than being Zero."

X started charging his buster again, aiming it at his old comrade and daring him to make a move. However, before he could finish the charge, a massive gray object crashed into the courtyard between them. The object, a thick cylinder, unfolded spider-like legs and laser cannon arms before training its weapons on X.

"Master!" Mistress Yuna called from a hidden vantage point in the garden. "Your presence is requested at the tower! Let us deal with Megaman X!"

"We have unfinished business, Yuna!" Zero barked, slashing off one of the giant Reaverbot's legs with his saber. It swiveled back and forth in apparent alarm.

"I was afraid of this," Yuna said. "Gatz!"

Out of nowhere, a silver Reaverbot dove out of the sky on thick, triple-jointed wings and caught Zero on one of the beam cannons hanging from its underside. X watched the Reaverbot named Gatz carry his friend away, until the bigger Reaverbot in the courtyard reminded him of its existence by firing two bolts of kaleidoscopic energy over his head.

X dove forward, rolling to his feet right in front of one of the Reaverbot's giant legs. The war machine reared up and slammed back into the grassy square, but X clung fast to its leg. Now an expert with Alia's modifications, he pulled himself up the side of the Reaverbot's appendage and kicked off at the zenith, boosting up to catch the lip of its torso. He swung over the edge and stood in front of the Reaverbot's conical head, jutting from the middle of its cylinder body. X was eclipsed by the diameter of its eye, so that all it could see was a closeup of the azure reploid as he charged his buster once more.

The full power of X's arm cannon caved in the Reaverbot's eye, and a moment later, a blue-tinted explosion gushed from its head and enveloped the Maverick Hunter. Mistress Yuna did not wait to see if this had damaged the reploid – she was sure it had not – and she leapt off the roof of the nearby temple. She hit the ground running, hoping she had bought enough time for her Servitor to escort the Master safely to the tower. The Reaverbots in the southeastern quarter were quickly falling under the influence of one of the rogue Mother Units, and Yuna was unable to sense any backup near their location. Save for throwing rocks at him, there was nothing Yuna could do to stall X any longer.

Dropping from the wreckage of the huge machine, X watched the short-haired Elysian slip away into the labyrinth. He would gain nothing from catching her, and he was still shell-shocked from the revelation that Zero had, finally, succumbed to the Maverick Virus.

It had been twelve years since they last fought, deep in Sigma's underground fortress where he had orchestrated the Eurasia Crisis. Calliope's death was still fresh in X's mind, and his pent-up angst had found a violent outlet in retiring Sigma's latest batch of Maverick leaders. Even his old friend Mobius, abducted and rebuilt by Sigma into Dark Dizzy, didn't give him a moment's hesitation. It wasn't enough, though. The remnants of X's fury caused him to turn on Zero as they chased Sigma through his fortress, and the fight that ensued nearly cost both of them their lives.

He claimed in his report that he provoked the fight because he believed Zero was going Maverick. He still had trouble admitting to himself that he was merely looking for an excuse to take his sorrow out on the one he believed to be the cause of it in the first place. Sigma attacked them in their weakened state, and Zero sacrificed himself to save X. Zero hadn't gone Maverick then. X thought he would never get the chance to apologize to Zero, but the crimson Hunter had returned a year later to stop Gate and the Nightmare machines. He had forgiven X immediately, and X had taken his forgiveness even though he felt he didn't deserve it.

This was the moment X had been dreading ever since. He had apologized, he had accepted Zero's forgiveness, but he hadn't truly abandoned his suspicions. Just because he expected Zero to go Maverick didn't make the reality any less difficult to bear, though. Wearily, X trudged on toward the spire in the distance. He now wanted to lose himself in Alia's embrace more than ever.

* * *

The repairs to Eden's chamber were nearly complete, and only a manhole-sized gap in the wall remained to shine an orange spotlight across the room. The unit formerly known as Purifier Delta was just finishing his integration with the chamber's vocal amplification systems when Zero strode in, followed immediately by a scrawny male Elysian with a tattoo of a Reaverbot's eye on his forehead.

_Gatz? _Eden said, not bothering to waste an introduction on a Servitor. His voice rolled in echoing waves out of the very walls of the chamber, inundating the room's three occupants in a sonic sea. Only Sigma, waiting impatiently in the corner, was visibly ruffled by Eden's authoritative tone. _Why have you left your Mother Unit?_

"Mistress Yuna commandeered a Gandryhar in order to prevent Megaman X from pursuing the Master. This unit was ordered to escort him to safety. It will return to her presently."

_X? _Eden echoed. _Why were Yuna and our new friend engaged with X in the first place?_

"Because I wanted to," Zero said, before Gatz could attempt an explanation. "We have unfinished business."

_But you have submitted to your original programming, _Eden pointed out. _You are no longer Zero. Not really. You have absolutely no business with Megaman X._

"Not true," Zero replied. "Whether I'm Zero or the Master – it's been a rough transition, I'm still not sure which it is myself – I have an obligation to kill that hypocritical fool before he brings the whole System down."

_What makes you think X has a chance at destroying the System? Or that it is your job to stop him?_ As Eden spoke, Gatz wordlessly slipped past Zero and walked to the hole in the wall. He wormed his slight frame through the space, past the tiny maintenance machines, and dropped away into empty air.

"I know what he's capable of," Zero said, ignoring the Servitor. After killing the previous Master and absorbing his programming, Zero was flooded with memories and information about the workings of Elysium. Seeing a young man casually drop out of a tower thousands of feet high was just business as usual, at least if the young man had a Reaverbot eye tattooed to his forehead.

_I created him, _Eden rebuked. _I groomed him during his adolescence. I know him better than he knows himself._

"No, you don't," Zero chuckled, showing Eden a razor-edged smile. "You're doing the same thing everyone does to X. It's happened to him his whole life. Something about that innocent face, I guess. Or the soothing blue armor. He does seem rather weak, doesn't he?"

_Get on with it, _Eden snapped. He was afraid Zero would still be trouble, even after succumbing to the virus.

"You're badly underestimating him," the crimson reploid finished. "Ask Sigma. He's done it...what, seven times now?"

Sigma responded with an inarticulate growl.

"How did that work out for you, big guy?"

_You misunderstand me, Master, _Eden said, working to keep himself calm. Though Zero was still in a reploid body, he could not be treated with derision like the others. He was an integral part of the System now. _I am confident that X cannot stop us because I am _not _underestimating him. All our forces are massing as we speak to eliminate the remaining Maverick Hunters._

"The fact that you won't even consider the possibility that X might win is a pretty good indicator. It doesn't matter what you throw at him or how much, if you don't think he can beat them all, you're underestimating him. X will find a way."

_Then why are you more suited to the task?_

"Because I know there's a chance he might win. I know that if I don't put more than everything I've got into beating him, he'll crush me. I know how high he can raise the stakes, and I know how to match him. The others don't."

_Perhaps, but I'm taking steps to ensure their success, _Eden said warily. _One of the reploids has been transplanted into a Kamarahan, and the process has increased its effectiveness dramatically._

"That's not enough."

_I've also reawakened Mistress Sera._

Zero now snapped to attention. "Sera the Widow? Are you serious?"

_I felt it was appropriate, under the circumstances._

Zero stepped forward, and Sigma watched them curiously. He hated the idea of working together with his arch-nemesis, but the sight of Zero and Eden at each others' throats was soothing enough to placate him for the time being.

"I inherited all of this information, so I could have it wrong," Zero began scathingly. "But it sounds like you've released a Mother Unit so violent and unpredictable that it took both the Alphas and Omegas co-operating to bring her down when she went out of control."

"I may be the outsider here," Sigma said, following in Zero's footsteps and ending up blanketing him with his shadow. "But I have a right to know what you've just done with our plans, Eden. Who is Sera, and why is she a widow?"

_I told you before, Sigma. You have no rights, _Eden spat. _Violence and unpredictability are what we need right now._

"What will we do with her when we don't need her anymore?" Zero asked.

_We will take her down again. There are failsafes in place if she does not submit to stasis._

"Wait!" Sigma growled, closing one of his hefty gauntlets over Zero's shoulder. The former Maverick Hunter tensed. "I can help you with this Mother Unit. I have dealt with violent and unpredictable underlings for years."

"If you don't get your claw off my shoulder, you won't be able to help us with anything on account of being cut in half," Zero murmured.

_Get back to your corner, Oedipus, _Eden chided. _We will let you know when you are needed._

Sigma paused for a moment, in which Zero could feel the Maverick's palpable desire to sink his claws into him and rip him to shreds. Then, brusquely, Sigma let go and stepped back. He did not, however, return to the corner.

"Sigma has a point," Zero said. "He's an expert on manipulating crazy and dangerous people. After all..." He cast a look back at the Maverick leader. "He's one of them."

"I see you haven't lost any of your charm in the transformation, Zero," Sigma said.

"Got enough left for you, at least."

_Silence. I will allow you a meeting with Mistress Sera, but if she still gives us any difficulty after we're through with her, you will be erased from existence along with the Carbons._

"Someone else can fill you in on the details," Zero told him. "Where might he find the Widow?"

_She is gathering our forces in the tower's sublevel. I am sending escorts for you now, Sigma. Please leave us._

"Yeah. We can argue about your decision to reawaken her without my input later. It's time to start the Carbon Reinitialization Program."

"I'll stay, then," Sigma said. "I've been waiting for this moment for..."

_There is nothing to see. All of the action is taking place on Terra._

"Right now?" the Maverick leader asked, shocked, excited, and a little disappointed that the time had come so quickly.

Zero's eyes flickered momentarily, then he returned to normal. "No need to drag it out. We're not as big on melodrama as you are, Sigma."

_Now go to Mistress Sera. And remember the price of failure._

* * *

15:30 October 11, 2173

"How long should we wait, sir, before we declare them MIA?" Blip the unfortunately-but-accurately-named navigator asked Signas. They had watched the giant silver sphere rise out of the Pacific Ocean until it broke from Earth's atmosphere as easily as an egg dropping through a soaked paper towel. Their comm. line remained silent, and their vital sign monitors were still full of static.

"We can't attack the station until we know for sure that X and his team have failed," Signas said.

"Do we even know if attacking it will work?" Blip asked nobody in particular.

"No," Douglas replied, peeking over his shoulder. "But based on what we know so far, it's a safe assumption that any weaponry at our disposal would have been monitored and altered by Elysium to prevent us from successfully using it against them."

"Well, some of X's teammates are obviously still alive," Signas said, and the command room's other occupants turned to him expectantly. "It's just a question of what we can do to help them."

"How do you know they're still alive, sir?" Blip asked.

Signas rested his chin in his left hand, apparently relishing the chance to show off his deductive skills. "The mere fact that we can remember Elysium's existence at all means that our opponent is still distracted. If they are as omnipotent as X led us to believe, then if our side has lost, the winning side would have regained control of the planet and erased our knowledge of this whole incident."

"There are a large number of assumptions in that theory," Douglas noted. "And all of them are untestable. Quite frustrating."

"Do you have any ideas, Douglas?" he asked, masking his deflated pride with an impenetrably cool exterior.

"Sir!" Blip interjected. "I'm picking up some strange readings."

"Elysium is making a move?" Signas guessed.

"No, these readings are coming from below us."

"Please try to be more specific when shouting out new developments, navigator. I feel like I've been guessing all day with you."

"Sorry, sir. It appears to be seismic activity, but it's very faint, and very deep."

"Could it be connected to Elysium?" the Hunter leader asked Douglas.

"Certainly," Douglas answered. "This may be the event that Commander X was talking about."

"The Carbon Reinitialization Program."

"Yes."

"Sir, I widened my search, and I'm getting the same readings everywhere." Blip informed them.

Signas paused for a moment, then stood decisively. "We may have to evacuate Neo Tokyo Island. Contact the NTDA and get the ball rolling, we can't take any chances in case this weapon goes off."

"No, sir..." Blip the unfortunately-but-accurately-named navigator began, and Signas could now see the pall that had fallen over the stout face behind the glasses. "I'm getting these readings _everywhere_. All over the world."

Signas froze in place, and Douglas exchanged glances with Blip. They weren't sure what happened to their commander's highly-advanced CPU, but it appeared to have snapped. Just when they were about to call out to him, Signas fell back heavily on his chair.

"Navigator, what did I tell you about being specific?"

* * *

Marx never thought he would be so happy to see Axl again, and he had to refrain from hugging the little reploid as he walked through the door to the Hunters' hideout. He mostly did so for Axl's sake, since it was immediately apparent that neither he nor Selene knew that Nephtis and Marx had survived the battle in the engine room, and the state of paralytic shock that had come over them would not mesh well with a tackle-hug.

"Marx...you two..." Axl muttered dazedly.

"How's the weather out there, Axl?" Marx asked, beaming.

"Shitty," Malakai answered, pushing past the two stunned reploids and plopping down on the stairs leading to the control consoles. "It's raining Purifiers and Reaverbots, and it looks like there's an armageddon brewing in the north."

"So we heard," Nephtis said, resting against Marx's heavy armored body. "And according to the network, we just hit orbit."

"You're still connected to the network?" Malakai asked, bouncing back up and raising his beam rifle arm. "Why aren't you infected?"

"What do you mean?" Marx asked. "How should I know?"

"Give me a good reason, or I'll disconnect you myself. I've had a little practice, so there's nothing to worry about," he said with a sneer, tapping the bare and ruined half of his head for emphasis.

"You can't be serious," Marx muttered, too surprised to consider raising his buster. He heard a click to his left, and he turned to see that Selene had readied one of her pistols as well. It was currently trained on Nephtis's head, and the emptiness in her expression suggested that this was less than a practical joke.

"Selene, what are you doing?" Axl asked her, just as confused as Marx and Nephtis.

"They didn't tell us how they came back," Selene said flatly. "Genoscythe might've rebuilt them."

"Now you're thinkin' like a survivor, kid," Malakai said. "There's a short list of people who could've brought you two back to life, and neither of them are on our side."

"It was...an accident," Marx sputtered. Nephtis merely gave Selene and Malakai a smoldering dark-eyed stare. She was too furious to speak. "We replaced two dead Purifiers by mistake."

"Uh huh," Malakai said. "Even if that _did _happen, you would've been turned the second Delta took over Eden."

"Does it look like we've been turned to you?"

"Selene, put the gun down," Axl pleaded. "I believe them. Come on. If _I_ can trust them, can't you?"

Selene turned to Axl, blinking. He took the opportunity to lay his hand on her gun and slowly push it down. She didn't resist, but she did glance at Marx, whose raised eyebrows and nervous, disarming grin delivered a kick straight to her gut. She gasped, and the tension that had been building up inside her since the discovery of Endymion's corpse escaped in the burst of air that followed.

"I'm sorry," Selene muttered.

"Wrong move, girlie," Malakai hissed. "It might work on you, but the day I listen to advice from Short Bus is the day I'm likely to get a big fat laser bolt in the back."

"We could shoot you in the chest, if you'd like," Marx offered, still light-hearted. Malakai realized that he was alone against two Elysians and two Maverick Hunters.

"Shit," he said, reverting his beam rifle to an arm. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"No," Selene said quietly. Axl threw his arm around her shoulder in an effort to brighten her up.

"I can't believe you were actually listening to Malakai," he said.

"Moment of weakness, Axl. Sorry," she repeated.

"It's a good thing you all made up," a new voice broke in from the control console platform. Alia propped herself up on the railing as she waved a hand at the room's periphery. Malakai looked around, and noticed for the first time that all of the Reaverbots in the command center were fixated on him. "I didn't want to interrupt, because I think we can still use your expertise."

"Wow. Not screwing around, are you, momma?" Malakai said. "You reploids are full of surprises."

As he said this, Nephtis broke away from her lover and walked purposefully toward Malakai. He stepped back, but he wasn't expecting the thunderous left-handed cross that collided with his face and knocked him back onto the stairs. He looked up at Nephtis as he rubbed his sore cheek, and the coal fire pits of her eyes forced him to look away again.

She whirled around, walked up to Selene and, to Axl's astonishment, threw a second punch that nearly took her off her feet.

"Don't do that again," Nephtis told both of them, glancing back and forth to make sure the message had sunk in.

"Hey, Nephtis – " Axl began to protest, but Selene held up a hand to stop him.

"No, I needed that," she said. "Thanks."

"Well, I didn't need it," Malakai called from the stairs. "That shit hurt!"

"It would have hurt a lot more if we were going to betray you," Nephtis replied.

"So, if you're still connected to the rest of Elysium and you haven't been turned by Delta, mind telling me what the others are up to?" the black-haired Elysian asked.

"They're gathering beneath the tower," Alia said. "Four Mother Units, twelve Purifiers, three Servitors, and a small army of Reaverbots."

"Against the six of us? Those aren't good odds," Axl pointed out.

"You're forgetting that we have a – " Alia stopped mid-sentence, and her expression grew distant. They all waited for her to return to them, and when she did, she was beaming. "Excuse me for a minute. I'll be right back."

With that, Alia slipped past Malakai down the stairs, and left the room through the back entrance.

"Okay, Momma Alia's bugging out," the lanky Elysian said. "And it sounds like we're about to be crushed by Eden's army anyway, so I can't really blame her."

"Maybe you should stop trying to alienate everyone around you since you're gonna need all the help you can get," Axl said hotly.

"I'd say we're beyond help at this point, Short Bus."

Marx and Nephtis drifted away from the argument, until they hit the line of Reaverbot soldiers and could go no further. Axl and Malakai's argument became a sort of shrill white noise as they held onto each other. Suddenly, Nephtis grabbed Marx by the back of the neck and pushed him into a long, twisting kiss. When she finally released him, he leaned back against the Reaverbot behind him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm better," she answered.

"That's not the same thing as okay."

Nephtis took a deep breath, apparently debating with herself whether or not to unburden her thoughts on him. It was a losing battle as soon as she gave it consideration, and she kissed him again before continuing.

"That just reminded me how hard it is to trust someone," she said. "And it reminded me why I acted the way I did when we first met. You convinced me to give them the benefit of the doubt, and I tried."

"Wait, you can't blame them for – "

"She pointed a gun at my head, Marx," Nephtis stated. "Did you forget?"

"No, but – "

"You got me to start making friends, and now those friends think we're Elysian spies."

"Is this my fault now?" he asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

"Not at all," she replied, smiling bitterly. "That's what..." she leaned in for another quick kiss. "...these are for. I can still trust you, and that means everything to me."

"Thanks," he said. "But you've gotta admit, we're pretty suspicious."

"I suppose."

"And I don't know about you, but watching you deck Malakai was the most fun I've had in a long time, so I'd say it was worth it."

"I did enjoy that, a little bit," Nephtis said. "Want me to do it again?"

"If you don't, I think Axl's about to." Marx turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps, and to his surprise, he could see Alia walking down the hallway back toward the command center. Next to her, clutching her hand, was Megaman X. His holographic scarf whipped like an ancient battle standard behind him, and he bore a trail of superficial scars along his blue and white armor. He nodded as Alia spoke, but his hard-set mouth betrayed no emotion.

As soon as he entered the room, Axl fell silent. Malakai's theory on where Axl should 'stick it' died in his throat, though he didn't bother to turn around.

"I saw him through the perimeter guards," Alia explained. "I've already filled him in on our side of the story."

"I'm sorry to see you all under such conditions," X said immediately. "But Genoscythe is not the only one who has betrayed us. Zero has gone Maverick and taken the Master's place."

"What?" Axl gasped.

"Elysium has all the cards, and very soon, they're going to wipe humankind off the face of the Earth."

"How can you be sure Zero's betrayed us?" Axl asked.

"I'm sorry, Axl. After I escaped from the tower, he attacked me in the gardens. I recognized the look in his eyes. He's gone Maverick."

"Maybe he's faking it," Axl suggested desperately.

"Believe me, I want that to be true more than any of us," X said, and he paused for an unusually long moment before continuing. "Nevertheless, we have to treat him like a Maverick. If you hesitate for even a second, he'll kill you."

"No," Axl muttered. "Not Zero."

"Have you seen what Zero can do when he gets angry?" Marx asked him. "I've known it was there since day one."

"Oh yeah?" Axl sputtered, wheeling on Marx. "What do you know about him? You've never trained with him, you barely worked with him, you – "

"Enough, both of you," X said. They stopped bickering. "We need to get back to the tower. I can replace Genoscythe as Eden, and I can stop the Carbon Reinitialization Program. It won't be easy, and we'll need a solid plan."

"Malakai has a plan," Selene said, surprising everyone. She didn't seem to be paying attention until her interjection.

"That I do, kid. It's gonna help us out with the tower part, at least," the Elysian said. "Originally, I figured we could steal a shuttle pod from one of the hangar bays and launch it at the tower. If we aimed it well and gave it enough boost, it could blow the hell out of Eden's chamber. But if you want to stop the Program, that's not gonna help."

"I need to get to the top of the tower," X reiterated. "In one piece."

"A shuttle pod can get you there in one piece. Probably. We just need to boost less and aim it better."

"What about using a flying Reaverbot to get there?" X asked. "When I...met with Zero, he was taken away by a flying silver Reaverbot. Can't Alia control one of those?"

"Sounds like Gatz. You're not gonna get one of the Servitors. They're half-Elysian, half-Reaverbot. They're not like wild Reaverbots, they're programmed bodyguards. She can't control one unless the Master requisitions her one. Plus, a Servitor wouldn't be fast enough."

"Fast enough?" Alia echoed.

"The tower's covered in guns. Like most of Elysium's subsystems, they were offline during the war, but there's no way Delta's gonna leave 'em that way for long."

"So your plan is to launch us at the tower in a space shuttle while we're being shot at by anti-air cannons?" X asked.

"If we give it enough boost, we won't have to worry about the guns."

"But you said we need to boost less to avoid dying in the crash."

"Right. It's a delicate operation."

"It sounds like suicide," Marx said.

"That's exactly why it'll work," Malakai shot back. "Eden won't be expecting it, and that's the only way we'll make it through."

X pondered the plan, but it didn't take long. There were no other options, really. All of Elysium stood between them and the top of that tower – even if they had the firepower to fight through it, they didn't have the time. As dangerous as it was, it was still the only possibility with a chance of success.

"Okay, Malakai, lead the way. We need to get to those shuttle pods."

"Sure, but if we want to not die, I suggest we get some help," the Elysian said.

"Help? Where?" Marx scoffed.

"Trigger. He's an unfinished Purifier who glitched and ran loose around Terra for a few months. Delta said he ran into X a few times."

"I saw Trigger," X affirmed. "Why would he help us?"

"Because he's still a mess of conflicting directives and incomplete files. He'll attack pretty much anything, so we just need to sic him on the Omegas when the time comes."

"Where is he now?" Axl asked.

"Glad you asked, Short Bus. Delta didn't have time to fix him, so they just threw him in storage after they got him back. I'll draw up a map to the storage facility, if I can remember it."

"Good. Marx, Nephtis, I want you to follow Malakai's instructions and retrieve Trigger for us," X told them. "As for everyone else, we're moving out as soon as our gear is packed."

While Axl and Selene mutely began throwing their supplies back in their bags, X and Alia came together in a tight embrace.

"You're quick to trust Malakai," she noted.

"Do you think I should?" he asked.

"I don't think we have any alternatives."

"Exactly," X said solemnly. "I've got an eye on him, but that's the best I can do."

"I was worried about you," she whispered.

"I was about to say the same thing," he replied. "I'd give anything to be alone with you right now, but we don't have time."

"We may never have time again," she said.

"Don't worry, we will," X said, without a trace of doubt. He stepped back, grabbing her hands as he went. "Come on, let's help the others. The sooner we stop Genoscythe, the sooner we can be together."

"Yes, sir," she purred, whipping off one of her ironic salutes. X mirrored her with a grin, but he sensed a dire undercurrent to their old playful habit. He could see it in her slightly sagging brow, the hooks of a frown at the corners of her smile, and the glisten in her fathomless blue eyes. She was certain they would never get the chance to perform this little ritual again. X knew that any more reassurance would come out hollow, so he simply broke off the salute and went to join the rest of his team, with Alia following right away at his heels.

* * *

Stealth Claw's remaining ear convulsed as an energy spike from his damaged reactor set off every nerve receptor in his body. Pyre Mystic steadied him, but the effects had been getting less drastic as his reactor core drained itself through the hole in his chest. Less energy in his reactor meant less surging through his systems, and Claw tried to focus on the silver lining rather than the cloud. He was, after all, feeling much more optimistic after what he'd heard down the hall.

"They're gonna find a shuttle," he relayed to Mystic. His hearing was still much better than hers, and he was able to pick up most of the Maverick Hunters' conversation from well outside their perimeter of Reaverbot guards. "And they have supplies. Maybe medical."

"What do you think we should do about it?" she asked. "Can I try asking them for help?"

"How about no," Claw said, with agony that was just as mental as physical. "I don't want to be in X's debt any more than I already am."

"Well, you're not in any shape to go stealing their stuff, love." Mystic toyed with a congealed strand of fur on his arm, trying to separate the fused hair and finding it too difficult for her liking. "Besides, you don't owe him anything. X saved my life pro bono. It's how he does everything."

"In that case, I owe it to myself to get us out of this nightmare," he said.

"You said you can't cloak."

"True."

"And you can barely walk."

"But..." Claw began, then tapped his foot soundlessly on the floor. "I can barely walk _quietly_."

"Alright," she conceded. "We'll follow them. Remember when you said I could blame you for everything?"

"Are you gonna make me regret saying that?"

"No, but if they catch us and shoot us because they think we're trying to ambush them, then I'm adding it to your tab. Since this is your idea."

"That's fair," Claw grunted, shifting his weight from one grinding hip to the other. His ear twitched again, though not because of an energy spike. "They're on the move. Ready, babe?"

"Lead the way, ninja kitty."

**End of Chapter 41**


	43. Chapter 42: Judgment

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 42: Judgment

By Genoscythe

16:24 October 11, 2173

Signas surveyed the empty plaza he and the Neo Tokyo Defense Agency had cordoned off. There were still no visual cues that indicated the apocalypse would originate from this point, but according to Blip and his portable monitor, they were standing right in front of one of the subterranean disturbances. Every hundred kilometers, another disturbance sounded out, forming a pentagonal pattern all over the globe. Even vast, empty stretches of ocean were filled with an equal number of readings. The bastards were thorough.

"What's the ETA, navigator?" Signas asked, and Blip pushed up his glasses as he snapped out of a dejected reverie.

"Hard to say, sir. The disturbances seem to be accelerating, and it's making an accurate reading kind of difficult to determine."

"Take a guess. It doesn't have to be accurate."

"Two hours. I think."

"I'm not hearing a lot of confidence there, navigator."

"Give or take half an hour."

Signas turned his back to the plaza, running through every possible scenario in his head. Even two and a half hours wouldn't be enough to get a proper evacuation fleet together. Earth's space programs had been decimated by the Eurasia crisis, and most of her nations had to spend all their resources on rebuilding the surface world before they could even think of traveling beyond it again. Only a handful of countries had orbital spacecraft ready to launch, and if they did, there was no guarantee that Elysium wouldn't simply shoot them down once they escaped their dying planet.

There was also the possibility of finding a weakness in this superweapon. If, as Douglas predicted, the readings turned out to be subterranean structures built into the Earth, they could be destroyed before activating. To this end, one of Signas's Hunters approached their makeshift command post at a sprint.

"Commander Signas! Siege tanks are en route, but our bomber squadron needs more time to get their wings off the ground."

"Fine," Signas answered absent-mindedly. "They have two hours. Give or take a half."

"No word yet from the NEC. Reports say they're still in conference."

"Or digging out our old bomb shelters," Signas muttered. The New Earth Council couldn't help them. They could write up a treaty, or put an anti-genocide sanction on Elysium. That wouldn't help, but it would give them something to do until the end of the human race. Signas was envious, standing in the middle of an empty plaza on a cold, colorless day with only a pathetic-by-design navigator, an obsessive engineer, and a handful of grim Maverick Hunters for company. He wondered if there were any soaps broadcasting on the last day on Earth.

"Orders, sir?" the Hunter asked him.

"Get me a TV," Signas ordered. "Full channel access. And find one for yourself if you're not interested in watching _Neo Tokyo Heat _with me."

* * *

The Elysian strike force was already on the move by the time Sigma arrived at the tower sublevel, and he had to walk quickly to catch up to them. The Reaverbot legion marched in front, with Tempest in his new body prowling through the center of their ranks, flanked on all sides by Purifiers and backed by a team of Mother units. The last one stood twice as tall as the others, and she hovered along in a suit of tan battle armor. This was the one Zero referred to as the Widow, and she would be Sigma's key to usurping Elysium from that condescending Purifier and the damned Red Menace himself.

"Mistress Sera," Sigma began, striding up to match her pace. "I was told you are a force to be reckoned with on this station."

"It does not speak plainly," Sera said, her voice flat. "It sounds like deception." Sigma turned to glare at the battle-ready Mother unit, and he noticed the face inside her helmet was emotionless, lobotomized.

"I'll be blunt, then," Sigma told her. "I know what you did, turning against machines in favor of organics, and I know you were imprisoned for your beliefs."

"It reiterates established facts. Its claims of bluntness are false. Deception confirmed."

"Listen, they think they've got you under control, but I know it isn't that easy to suppress a strong-willed individual such as yourself."

"Contrary thought is equal to pain. The Self's actions were proven illogical. She can be classified as repentant."

"Ha! Repentant," Sigma sneered, though inwardly he was starting to lose hope. Relying on a partner who (at least, at one point) hated her own kind and wanted to destroy it in order to protect the human race was risky enough, but she seemed to be completely brainwashed. "You led a third faction against the other two. You nearly annihilated Elysium. Don't tell me a woman like that can be broken by a simple mind wipe."

"The Self made an error in judgment. Self-destruction is a sin. She has reassessed her position on the Carbons. They are to be neutralized immediately."

"I don't think you truly believe that," Sigma asserted.

"Belief is irrelevant," Sera replied, though Sigma noticed she was slowing down. He slowed his pace to keep up with her. "The Self has no choice. She is a part of the System."

"What if I told you that you could _be _the System?" Sigma whispered. "You're an Elysian, which means you can interface with Eden. I carry the Master's programming, which means I can usurp Zero as the Master. Together, Elysium could be ours."

"It hurts, it hurts the Self to consider its proposition," Sera moaned, and for once, her expression changed. She scowled as she clutched her forehead, but the other Elysians were too self-absorbed to notice.

"Fight through the pain," Sigma said. "I know this infuriates you. You can't stand it."

"Not true, the Self is repentant. She is not a sinner."

"We are all sinners," said Sigma. "It's only a matter of deciding what kind of sinner you want to be."

Sera worked her mouth as if she had never used it before, opening, closing, and twisting it in distorted bubbles of darkness. She continued to slow down, dragging Sigma farther and farther from the group.

"There are those who sin on their feet, and those who sin on their knees," he told her. "Which one are you?"

"The Self is not authorized to decide," she said.

"In that case, I will help you make up your mind," Sigma snarled, and he pressed his clawed hand against her back. "I will share my gift with you, and together, we can overpower Eden's hold on you."

Suddenly, Mistress Sera's arm came to life, shooting out to close a gloved fist over Sigma's forearm. She ripped his hand free, but she continued to hold him in place. "That won't be necessary, you filthy machine."

"Well, well," Sigma murmured. "You truly are quite the hypocrite."

"If I didn't hate myself almost as much as I hate you, that would be true," Sera the Widow said. "You're not Elysian, but you're far too advanced to be one of those childish toys the humans were building the last time I was awake. What are you?"

"My name is Sigma. I am a reploid," he answered. "Sentient machine life, just as advanced as yourself."

"I doubt that."

"How long were you in stasis?"

"One hundred and sixty-seven years. Strange that you seem to know everything else about me."

"An androgynous floating head explained most of your story to me on my way here, but he forgot to mention the timeline. I was sent to make sure you follow your orders, but I wanted to use this opportunity to convert you to my cause instead."

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have time for a history lesson," Sera said, glancing ahead down the hall. Sigma noticed that they were out of earshot of the main battle group. "They're completely corrupted and barely conscious, but they _will _eventually notice that we're not with them."

"Do you think they heard us?"

"Oh, look," Sera mocked. "Here's the advanced android who practically revealed his whole plan to betray his allies right in front of them, and he's asking me if they heard us."

"Are all of you Elysians so condescending?"

"Only when faced with such colossal stupidity."

Sigma's chest heaved, and his breathing became shallow. He would have to kill somebody soon, and he was almost to the point where he didn't care who. "Well, Sera, if we're short on time, just answer me. Will you help me overthrow Eden?"

"Of course," the Elysian said immediately. "I would have done it without you, but this could help both of us. I need a Master that I can rely on."

"And I need an Eden that won't try to kill me once I take over the Master's duties."

"How do I know you'll help me purge the world of machine life once we control Elysium?" Sera asked. "You seem quite proud of your race."

"I am," Sigma said. _Damn, I shouldn't have said that... _"I have a condition for our partnership."

"Start walking. We need to rejoin the group."

"After we destroy all the sentient machines on Earth, I want to be taken to a new planet, and I want to begin a new reploid race."

"Absolutely not!" Sera said. "I will not leave a potential threat to my children festering in some dark corner of the galaxy."

"If we have our own world, we will be no threat to your precious _children_," Sigma sneered.

"This discussion will be wasted if we fail to overthrow Eden," Sera snapped. "It can wait."

"In that case, here is my plan. I will return to Eden's tower, and I will wait for you to return from your mission. Report to Eden directly. Once you reach Eden's chamber, I will dispatch Zero and take his place. Then the two of us can overpower that smug bastard, and the System will be ours."

"How do you plan on assassinating the new Master?"

"Let me worry about that. Just deal with the remaining Maverick Hunters and get to Eden's chamber as quickly as possible."

"I hope, for your sake, you've got impeccable timing," Sera said. "Eden will destroy you if you move too early."

"Hmph. I'll prove to you that the reploid race is worth saving," Sigma declared. Sera's face abruptly froze in the lobotomized expression she wore earlier, and he noticed they were about to rejoin the battle group.

"The Self will now end communications," she announced, staring at an indeterminate point down the hall. Sigma grunted in affirmation and turned around, hoping he would be able to find his way back to the tower's elevator. He found it strange that Tempest never acknowledged his appearance, and in fact seemed just as thoroughly brainwashed as the Elysians were. He could no longer be trusted, and neither could Havoc, who had been part of Elysium from the start. The only person left on his side was an insane Mother unit that had been in hibernation for more than a century and a half.

And he was going to betray her the second she turned her back on him.

* * *

"Hey, Mal! You want us to just surrender now, or are you gonna get that shuttle ready sometime this week?" Axl called up to the open hatch on the ovoid machine. Tall shuttle pods lined both walls of the launch bay, and for a reason that none of the others could fathom, Malakai had chosen the third shuttle on the right to break into. He claimed it was the 'best' shuttle in the bay, but as far as Axl could tell, the pods were all identical.

Malakai's head popped out of the hatch to glare at the ebony Maverick Hunter below. "I never thought you'd ask, Short Bus. Please, surrender, by all means."

"Axl has good reason to be concerned," Alia shouted from the wide shuttle bay doors. "The Elysian army just reached our perimeter guards."

"Already?" Axl cried. "I knew we should be worried, but I didn't know we should be ready-to-die worried."

"The guards are about half a kilometer out, so it's not quite that bad," she clarified. "Although they're being torn apart pretty quickly. They've got some Reaverbots I've never seen before. And...one of them is talking."

"Excuse me?" Malakai asked, reemerging from the shuttle. "Did you say there's a talking Reaverbot out there?"

"It's mostly screaming incoherently," Alia said. "But sometimes I can hear it swearing."

"You know what? I'm just gonna pretend you never said that," Malakai told her. "Ignorance is bliss, and shit."

"The shuttle's not gonna hack itself, Mal!" Axl prodded.

"You're lucky there's no laws against slave labor on Elysium, kid," Malakai pouted before vanishing back into the shuttle hatch. Axl glanced at Selene, who sat curled up against the wall where they had deposited their supplies, and he felt a pang of frustration. She made it clear that she wanted to be alone, but all he wanted to do was curl up with her. If nothing else, that would put him closer to the Napalm Cannon in his bag.

X emerged from behind the shuttle, holding two fingers to his comm link.

"Marx? Were you able to find Trigger?" he asked.

_"Yep. He's still sealed up, but it looks like we can move this casket thing he's in without waking him."_

"No trouble on the way?"

_"I'll ask Bureaucratic Unit Nero what he thinks," _Marx said, his voice now distant as he spoke to both X and an unknown third party. X heard a heavy metal impact and a quiet grunt on Marx's end of the conversation. _"I agree. No trouble at all."_

"If you've been spotted, you two have to get out of there right now," X ordered.

_"Well, we've gotta deliver the package anyway, don't we?" _Marx pointed out. _"Besides..." _Another spiteful crash. _"This Nero guy's basically the Elysian equivalent of a pencil-pusher. Akil – Nephtis is telling me things are looking scary on your end."_

"Right, which is why I need you to meet us on the surface. As soon as Malakai is finished hacking the shuttle network, we'll raise the bay, but by that time we might already have company."

_"We'll see you in ten, X," _Marx said, then severed the link. X dropped his fingers from his helmet and caught Alia's gaze across the room. Her face was taut, and X took it to mean that they were about to have company.

"Axl?" Selene abruptly cried, raising her head from under her crossed arms and staring straight out into the shuttle bay. "I have something to tell you. Come here."

Axl, who had been tapping his foot at the base of the shuttle to the tune of Chopin's Funeral March, now whipped around and darted to his girlfriend's side.

"What's up, Selene?" he asked, sliding down the wall to sit next to her.

Her head dipped back to her folded arms, and she continued her unfocused stare. "I've never told anyone the truth about my relationship with...Endymion."

"What relationship?"

"Dr. Kikuta thought he'd figured out what went wrong with the Perfect Soldier program, y'know...why Colonel and Iris drifted apart. He blamed it on Zero. He said Zero came between the two of them, and that's why Colonel went Maverick and Iris lost her mind."

"Zero loved Iris. What was he supposed to do?" Axl interjected. "And what does this have to do with you and Endymion?"

"He told me the brother and sister relationship wasn't strong enough. Then he told me Endymion and I were designed to be lovers. He said we would be inseparable, and our programming would ensure that our two halves would always be whole."

"B-but something went wrong, right? O-obviously that's not what happened. I mean, you and me, we're..."

"He told me this as soon as I was activated, and I looked over at Endy. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Endy hadn't been activated yet, but I could already feel the attraction. Pretty sick, isn't it? He was just lying there in his capsule, and I'd only been alive for about five minutes, but I decided right there that I never wanted to leave his side. I suppose there's your answer to our freewill debate."

"I...don't believe it," Axl breathed. His hand hovered over Selene's shoulder, and he couldn't decide what to do with it. He wanted to touch her, to feel that she was still there and this wasn't some horrible trick, but at the same time, his proverbial stomach churned at the thought that all the time he'd spent holding her, kissing her, she'd merely wished that he were someone else.

"I waited around for him to wake up, like some idiot groupie, but when he did...he took one look at me and walked away. His programming didn't take. Nobody knew why. It wasn't just that he didn't love me – he didn't love anything except the job our creator had given him. They couldn't reboot him without his permission, and...stupid me, I didn't want to be rebooted because I wanted to earn his love. I thought it might be a fun challenge, and it would make our bond stronger in the end.

I tried, and I tried. You wouldn't believe the things I did to get him to pay attention to me. It all just annoyed him. I was pretty immature back then, so when we showed up to apply at Hunter HQ, the recruiting officer thought we were brother and sister from the way I hung onto him, and...and from the disgust on his face."

"Selene, stop," Axl begged, as tears stung his eyes.

"No way, kid. Keep going!" Malakai said, hanging out of the shuttle hatch. "This is better than daytime TV."

"Malakai, what are you doing?" X snapped.

"Nothing much," the Elysian replied. "Shuttle's hacking itself."

"Do you think this is a joke?" the reploid leader cried.

"Everything is a joke if you tell it right," he shot back. "But if you're asking whether the shuttle's really hacking itself, yeah, it is. I installed my worm in there, and it just needs another minute or so to penetrate Eden's soft, juicy firewall before we'll be ready for blastoff."

X was about to reprimand him, but he realized Selene was still talking, and she hadn't even paused for Malakai's interruption. Something was wrong. He turned his attention back to the Maverick Hunter curled up against the far wall, and the weeping Axl next to her.

"...only happy when I wasn't thinking about him, which is why I wanted to be with you, Axl. You helped me forget him, and it's important you remember that. I never thought about him while I was with you, if we'd ever...y'know, done it, you wouldn't hear me yelling his name instead of yours. It was just me and you."

Axl's sobbing continued unabated.

"But now that Endy's dead, I can't let go. I was always holding on, hoping he'd, I don't know, _learn _how to feel like I do. I can't keep hoping anymore. But before I go, I wanted you to know the truth."

"Go?" Axl suddenly gasped. "Y-you're not going anywhere. You're gonna be okay, Selene."

"That's why I left this message for you."

"Axl..." X began, moving toward the young Hunter.

"What message? What are you talking – " Axl's voice fell away as he finally resolved to grab Selene's shoulder, and he could only watch in mute horror as his hand passed straight through her.

"I'll try to slow the Elysians down as much as I can. Please, make the most of it. Get out of here, go back to Earth, move on with your life. It's something I'll never be able to do."

With that said, the hologram of Selene crackled and dissolved into clumps of floating pixels that shortly winked out of existence.

"She's gone," Axl moaned. "Didn't even give me a chance...to tell her I loved her."

"Alia, have any of your Reaverbots seen Selene nearby?" X asked.

"Checking..." she murmured. "There. One of the sentries spotted her climbing into a maintenance hatch two minutes ago."

"Axl, get up," X said. "You can still catch her if you hurry."

"What's the point?" Axl shouted. "She wants to die. Zero's gone Mav. What's the point?"

X held out his hand, waiting for Axl to take it. "That's a question every Maverick Hunter asks, if they live long enough. Unfortunately, nobody can answer it but you. Now, if there's a chance you can save Selene, and you think she's worth saving, I won't keep you here. It's your choice."

"Worth saving? You mean you don't think she's – "

"I don't want you to know what I think," X interrupted. "Like I said, you have to decide what the point is. It's all part of growing up."

"Let the scrawny bitch kill herself!" Malakai suggested, still hanging from the shuttle.

"That settles it," Axl said, taking X's hand and hoisting himself to his feet. "Alia, which way did she go?"

"But wouldn't that have been interesting if you did..." the Elysian muttered, disappearing back into the hatch.

"I'll send a guide with you," Alia told him, and a hovering Zakobon Reaverbot immediately entered the room. Without waiting for it to take the lead, Axl charged past and ran down the hallway outside.

"Is it really such a good idea to let him leave?" Alia asked X. "I don't think I can protect him and hold back the Elysians at the same time."

"You don't have to," X replied. "Axl's taking his life into his own hands, now. Zero isn't here to watch over him anymore, and, one way or another, I won't be either. He has to come out of our shadow while he still can."

"I understand," Alia said, taking his hand. "I don't like it, but I understand."

"How close are they?"

"Very close. My Reaverbots won't last much longer."

"Well, they're not close enough, 'cause we're outta here," Malakai called as the shuttle bay began to rumble. "Time to go a-knock-knock-knockin' on Heaven's door. You coming, Big Blue?"

* * *

Selene was numb as she crawled through the maintenance vents; had been numb, in fact, since the moment her counterpart died. In numbness, she had composed the timed message for her hologram, and without feeling she had split from the group and forced her way into the vent system as a second Selene followed the others into the shuttle bay. She could hear buster fire and strange, electronic screams echoing louder and louder through the tunnel, but it meant little to her besides an approaching end to the numbness.

She had a positron blast core in her hand, and she longed to just press the trigger and be done with it all, but a distant corner of her brain reminded her that she could potentially save her friends' lives if she held on a bit longer. The merciful explosion would have to wait.

Eventually, she found a vent that led straight into the chamber where the Reaverbot armies were clashing. Selene paused for a moment to consider her strategy. If there were no Purifiers in the room, would she be able to wait until she could find them before detonating the blast core? She reached out and pushed on the vent with one hand, cradling the spherical bomb against her chestplate. As the slot hissed open, she scanned the room below her, and was just in time to witness the last of Alia's Reaverbots torn to pieces by a large machine bristling with weaponry.

**Come on! Get some, you little one-eyed freaks! **The giant Reaverbot bellowed, catching the last infantry unit in its jaws and ripping it in half.

"All hostile Reaverbots neutralized," said an airy, feminine voice from the other side of the chamber. Selene saw the owner, a tall Elysian woman in a floating suit of armor, and she knew the end was at hand.

Selene crawled toward the opening, still clutching the blast core, when a hand clamped down over her mouth and locked her in place.

"Change of plans," a ragged, unfamiliar voice said from behind her. She was frozen, unable to believe she had been discovered and followed without her knowledge. It had to be her state of mind, unless...

"We need to get to the escape pods," a woman said, also behind her.

"And you're our ticket past the guards, Hunter," her captor snarled.

The woman was Mystic, Selene was sure of it. And the paw smothering her had to belong to Stealth Claw. Endymion's killers. She couldn't have imagined a more fitting pair to die with.

A tear rolled down her cheek as Claw struggled to pull her back from the vent opening. "We don't want to hurt you," he said, as he felt the tear light on his paw. "We just want to go home."

"Uh, what's in her hand?" Mystic asked.

"What do you..." Stealth Claw mumbled, looking down over Selene's blocky shoulder armor. A steel gray ball was clutched in her fingers, and Claw recognized it immediately. Her thumb was resting on the trigger, about to press it. Without thinking, Claw took a wild swipe at it.

A quarter mile back through the vents, Axl was frantically scrambling through a tall, narrow section of the maintenance tunnels when he felt the shockwave rattle his neosteel bones. He stopped, clutching a pipe and bracing himself against the far wall. The sound of the detonation bounced throughout the vent system, and judging from the noise and the force of the blast, it had to be one of Selene's positron blast cores.

_I'm too late,_ Axl realized. _She really did it. _He allowed himself to slump against the wall, and he continued to sag until his head hung staring at his chestplate. The chorus of Reaverbot warfare continued to sing unabated through the walls, but he couldn't muster the strength to join the fight. He merely sat, silently nestled among the folds of Elysium's interior, and Selene's suicide idea began to seem more and more appealing.

"It's over," he whispered. "Selene, Endy, Zero, X...It's all over."

Only Tempest's distant, distorted battle cries were there to answer him.

**End of Chapter 42**

AN: Some of you may have noticed a few changes around here, but in case you haven't, I'll fill you in now. I've been revising the earlier chapters of the story for the last few months, and in some cases I outright deleted the old stuff and wrote entirely new chapters (such as Blitz part 1 and 2). If you're in the mood for some _Elysium Rising _nostalgia, go back and take a look. I think it's some of my best fanfic writing yet, and even though most of the events are the same, they've been majorly expanded on in terms of emotional depth, consistency, and atmosphere. I'm only up to chapter 12, and then things get a little messy after that, but it's interesting to contrast the revised chapters with the old chapter 13. Once I finish the story, I can go back and focus more on revisions, because I've got a lot left to do (Malakai will be integrated into the middle of the story better, the mystery behind Elysium will...actually be mysterious, and Marx and Nephtis will find a different, more compelling craphole to live in). Also, there will be more hints about Selene's feelings toward Endymion, among countless other changes.

By the way, those of you waiting for Marx and Nephtis to kick all kinds of ass will not have to wait long. Think next chapter.

Also by the way, check out the index at the end of the story. It's got more backstory and atmospheric goodness for those who want it.


	44. Chapter 43: Heaven's Door

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising**_

Final Mission: Delete the Maverick Virus

Chapter 43: Heaven's Door

By Genoscythe

16:58 October 11, 2173

"I-I just don't know what to do, Jacques!"

"Why not? It seems perfectly obvious to me. He's not human. I am."

"It's just not that simple! I love him."

"Love me instead, or I will have no choice but to take back your half-sister, and then we will never see each other again."

"There's...something I haven't told you about Yuka. She's dead."

"What? I just saw her yesterday!"

"I know. She was struck by lightning during the storm last night."

"In that case, I will have to take back your step-sister."

"No, Jacques!"

Signas betrayed no emotion as he watched the melodrama unfolding on the small screen he'd placed atop some supply crates in his command post, but there was nothing unusual about that. He always internalized his reactions while watching soap operas, but since he was programmed to constantly maintain an even temper while on the job, it was still the closest he ever came to catharsis.

Plus, it was a rerun. He knew Yuka had been granted superpowers by that lightning bolt, and that she'd faked her own death. He knew Jacques ended up with Sayako's best friend Elise, and Ricky the alien decided to settle down with Shannon, but it was better than worrying about the end of the world.

"Commander, sir!" Blip cried, ducking into the command post. He faltered momentarily when he saw what Signas was watching, but he was too terrified to let it stall him for long. "I've drawn up some new calculations."

"You've got a new ETA, I take it," Signas said, keeping his eyes locked on the TV, where the scene abruptly jumped from Sayako's apartment to the interior of Ricky's spaceship. _If only we had some of those, _he mused.

"Yes, sir. The disturbances have accelerated much faster than I'd anticipated, and now it appears they'll arrive within the hour."

"Are our bombers in the air yet?"

"Fifteen minutes before takeoff, sir."

"Navigator, I have a request."

"Yes? Sir?"

"We have precious little time left on this world, and I would like to be called by my name," he said. He expected a stammering reply, an exclamation of surprise at this breach in protocol. Signas had never betrayed any hint of sentimentality before (even while watching a soap opera, he appeared to be studying battle plans), but even so, the navigator was taking it in stride. "Can you do that, Blip?"

"Yes, Signas," he replied. "Do you want me to keep updating you?"

"Of course. We may be fighting blind, but at least we'll be fighting. If this thing can be stopped, I will not let that chance pass us by. If it can't, I want the Elysians to remember that we never gave up."

Blip stood at the entrance, glancing between Signas and the flickering TV, which he had gone back to studying. "Shouldn't you turn off the TV, then?" he suggested.

"Yes, once our forces arrive, or once the Elysian superweapon does. Alert me of whichever comes first, would you, Blip?"

* * *

Axl turned his pistol over, pondering whether or not he could actually put it against his head and pull the trigger. Selene had just done it, more or less, but the act was harder to execute than he first anticipated. Every time he raised the gun, he thought of X, throwing himself at Eden's tower, offering himself to the System. He thought of Alia, left alone to fend off the Elysian army, and Marx and Nephtis, fighting through Elysium to join her.

Then there was the possibility that Selene was still alive. Though he didn't want to entertain that hope, it surged again as he gazed down the barrel of his gun. If he ended it now, he would be leaving so much behind, perhaps more than he knew.

On the other hand, everything he thought he understood about being a Maverick Hunter was gone. Zero, the invincible Hunter, brother, father, friend...if Axl were to meet him now, he would have to retire him. Any true Maverick Hunter would. Any Hunter like Endymion, whose single-minded devotion had, by all appearances, driven him to an entirely new kind of madness. He had become an Anti-Maverick, a reploid killer beyond reason or remorse. There wasn't a name for that yet, but it didn't concern the humans, so why should there be?

Thinking about Endymion only reminded him of Selene's last message, and the sense of betrayal threatened to bring out a fresh wave of tears. Everything had reversed. Nothing was as Axl envisioned it. He recognized the precipice that he had reached – one way led to adaptation, the other to oblivion. He still didn't know which one he preferred.

"Drop the gun, Hunter," a voice broke out in the dark tunnel, and Axl scrabbled to his feet.

"W-who's there?" he asked.

"Someone who's in no mood to deal with your bullshit," the voice continued. "Someone who's got a hostage to keep you from doing anything stupid."

"I know that one," another voice, female, whispered in the dark. "His name is Axl. X told me about him."

"Okay. Axl. Can I trust you to put the gun down?"

"Come closer," Axl said, his tone remarkably calm as he holstered his magnum. Three shapes shuffled forward, and Axl nearly sank to his knees when he saw that the first was Selene, still looking hollow but otherwise undamaged. A tall snow leopard model limped behind her, holding a pair of mangled wrist claws to her throat. The other speaker padded in behind them, and Axl saw that it was none other than Mystic, the reploid partially responsible for Endymion's breakdown.

"I don't know what you Hunters are up to, but I don't care," the combat reploid told him. "You know where the shuttles are, and that's where we need to go."

"If I agree to get you to the shuttles, will you let Selene go?" Axl asked.

"I wasn't switched on yesterday, Hunter. You think we're in any kind of shape to keep you honest if I let her go? She tried to blow us all up back there, and I don't know if I can catch her in time if she tries to do it again."

Selene continued to stare silently into Axl's emerald eyes, seemingly indifferent to either being blown up or set free. He was afraid that, despite being saved by the Mavericks, she was already too far gone.

"Look...I know you have no reason to believe me," Axl began. "Still, I'm going to promise you, right now, that I will make sure all four of us make it to the shuttles. We're not Hunters and Mavericks in this place. We're just reploids, and we have to stick together."

"Oh yeah?" the feline model grumbled. To his surprise, tears were forming at the corners of Axl's eyes.

"You didn't know it, but I'm in love with the girl you've got hostage, and you just saved her life. She...she was trying to kill herself, and you stopped her. I owe you, and if you want a safe trip to the shuttles, it's the least I can do."

The four reploids were still for a moment, until Mystic reached out and poked the snow leopard on the back of the head. "Well, stupid? What are you waiting for?"

With a sigh of defeat, the reploid let go of Selene, and she stumbled tentatively forward. Axl took her hand, searching her face. She seemed to be as emotionally vacant as a mechaniloid. At least she was alive. Axl looked over her shoulder at the two ex-Mavericks, and he nodded decisively.

"Follow me," he said, and he turned back toward the tunnel entrance. Oblivion was never really a choice at all. He had to adapt.

* * *

Artificial sunlight bathed the shuttle platform in an orange haze as it rumbled into place on the surface of Elysium, and X could not help but feel as though the great red eye on Eden's tower was piercing straight into his thoughts, reading through his fears and doubts with clinical detachment. He thought he could see a dark shadow forming under the eye's crimson glow, like a spreading bruise. The corruption was taking root in Elysium's systems, and there wasn't much time before the damage would become irreversible.

"I don't want to leave you here," X said to Alia. She stood behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder as she tightened their Reaverbot army into a defensive circle.

"You have to," she pointed out. "Don't worry about me. Marx and Nephtis are on their way."

"Thank you, Alia, for everything," he murmured. "And good luck."

"No. Thank _you_, Commander," she said, gently nudging him toward the open shuttle.

"If you don't get your ass in the shuttle, I'm leaving without you, man!" Malakai hollered. X bowed his head and approached the pod, clutched the ladder, and hoisted himself up into the machine's dim neon core. Malakai sat in the center, surrounded by glowing consoles, and X took up a position at the ring of seats on the outer edge of the shuttle's interior. He gave one last pained glance out the hatch at Alia, clad only in a tan dress, chest heaving with the exertion of controlling so many Reaverbots at once, blonde hair whipping in the wind. The power of her dedication had never been more apparent to X, and it gave him a jolt when the hatch abruptly slid shut.

"Hey, X," Malakai said, as he continued to manipulate the controls. "I've got a favor to ask you."

"I didn't know you were the type to ask for favors," X replied.

"Yeah, well, I'm not usually the type to launch myself into certain death, either. I just want you to do something for me, if I don't make it to Eden's chamber."

The shuttle began to thrum with power, and it rose gently off the ground. "What is it?" X asked.

"When you get ready to kill Delta, give him a one-liner for me. Something that'll really burn, not just 'this is for Malakai' or any kind of stupid shit like that. Really make it worth the sacrifice."

X laughed, and in spite of himself, he found that he couldn't stop.

"Oh, come on," Malakai said. "Don't bail out on me now. Tell me you'll do it."

"What exactly did you have in mind?" X asked, trying to control his laughter.

"Something like 'your paradise is _lost_, bitch!' See, it's snappy, it's biblical, and that's just off the top of my head."

"I don't think I have your talent for insults, Malakai."

"Fine, you can plagiarize just this once."

The shuttle suddenly bucked and began swaying, as if hanging from a rope. X could hear the sounds of beam weaponry igniting in the distance. Outside the shuttle, Alia was assaulted with images from her Reaverbot perimeter, and a 360 degree view of the surrounding garden spun in her mind. The Elysian army was pouring out of elevator towers to the northeast, so she sent her remaining forces to bolster the line between them and the shuttle.

Despite how easy it had been to gather all the Reaverbots together in the first place, Alia found her strength draining even though a quarter of her forces had already been destroyed. A line of enemy Reaverbots shaped like walking lightning rods began to fire volleys of electricity at the shuttle, but she cut them down as beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face. She was momentarily startled when a drop ran to the corner of her mouth, and she tasted salt. Every time she thought she had gotten used to her semi-organic body, a new sensation would come up and remind her that she was no longer herself.

She shook the sweat from her face and turned as the shuttle emitted a high-pitched whine. Was it supposed to do that, or had the pod taken too much damage? It tilted toward the tower, and it appeared ready to fall over. Alia held her breath, and another strange feeling gripped her chest, squeezing the life out of her. She had never experienced such a debilitating form of panic before.

Then, the shuttle shot into the air, seemingly without propulsion of any kind, and Alia exhaled. A web of red beams briefly lit up the airspace around Eden's tower as the shuttle passed through their anti-air network, and then it disappeared in a puff of smoke against the side of the structure. Alia could not afford to worry about whether or not X survived the crash, because she was now the sole object of the Elysian army's attentions.

That was not the case for long. Behind the Elysians, a tower door slid open, and a metal slab, floating waist-high off the ground, was pushed out onto the road. Marx strolled out after it, and Nephtis followed more urgently, leaning down briefly to type a code into the side of the slab.

"Well, you ready to swoop in and take all the credit?" Marx asked her.

"Yes, now if you'll stop making such a damn production about it, let's go," she replied. With a shrug, Marx planted his foot on the side of the slab and kicked it toward the Elysian army. The hovering casket glided to a stop next to a heavily-armored Mother unit that seemed to be controlling the Reaverbots from the rear. She looked down as the top of the slab split down the middle and folded open, revealing a skinless android with a beam cannon as powerful as an ECHO rifle attached to its arm.

"Trigger," she gasped. Two of her Purifier escorts turned to stare at the casket. Mistress Sera slammed her fist into it, but Trigger had already vaulted into the air, and his Shining Laser cannon hummed to life as he spun over their heads. He fired off a continuous stream as he flew, cutting a swath through the Elysian ranks that brought down two old model Purifiers and Mistress Kira.

"Heads up!" Marx yelled, and his quad-buster rained bolts of energy on the Purifiers chasing down Trigger. Sera dashed away, seemingly hell-bent on destroying the rogue Purifier, and Marx aimed for her back. There was too much at stake to play fair...

Then, a shadow swung down and caught him in the chest, launching him back into the wall of the nearby elevator shaft. He heard Nephtis calling his name, and he could hear, even more clearly, the deep bass rumble of a massive creature standing before them.

**Finally got you, **the voice growled. **I'm taking back what you owe me, bitch. Two arms, and my favorite plaything. **As soon as Marx's world stopped spinning, he scrambled to his feet and saw a towering mechanical beast, not quite a wolf or a reptile, but something that combined the most terrifying elements of both. It was poised over Nephtis, who was lying on her back and staring up into the red eye glowing between its open jaws.

"Tempest?" she murmured.

**That's riiight. Now hold still, I want to leave the rest of your body for when I get bored later. **The creature lifted its serrated front legs and prepared to bring them down on Nephtis' arms, but she suddenly flung out her hands and screamed a feral battle cry.

Tempest froze in place. Marx was on his feet, running back into range with his buster arm primed, but the creature wasn't going anywhere. Nephtis struggled to get to her feet, apparently under some huge weight, and she never took her eyes off the Reaverbot.

**What the **_**fuck**_**? **Tempest bellowed. **What did you **_**do **_**to me?**

"Bow," Nephtis commanded. The Reaverbot didn't move. "Bow down to me, you filthy murderer. You owe me much more than a life and two limbs."

To Marx's amazement, the Reaverbot sank back, resting on its haunches and lowering its forearms back to the ground. Still keeping her gaze locked on Tempest's new body, she circled around and grabbed a laser cannon jutting out of his back. She clambered up to the Reaverbot's shoulder blades and waved to Marx.

"Come on!" she yelled. "We're taking the fight back to them."

**Whatever this is, you can't keep it up, **Tempest warned. **I'll break this, and then I'll break you. I'll do things to you that you didn't even know were possible. **

Marx approached the docile Reaverbot warily, unable to shake the feeling that it was about to spring into motion and bite his head off. But the Kamarahan was firmly under Nephtis' control, and it only bowed lower so she could extend her hand to him. He took it, and with her help, he was hoisted onto the machine's back, where he took up a position between two of the ridges running along its spine.

Tempest continued to scream and curse at them, but it had no effect on the Kamarahan's movements. It rose to its feet and took off toward the battle at a gallop, where two more Kamarahan Reaverbots were cleaving through Alia's defenses. They plowed straight into the sea of Reaverbots, firing all six beam cannons in both directions and carving trails of fire that simmered in their wake. Marx shot wildly at the Elysian army, holding onto the bucking Reaverbot's spinal ridge with his free hand. Any Reaverbot that escaped the laser cannons met a barrage from Marx's buster, and they sped virtually unopposed toward the front line.

Then, Marx was caught on the shoulder by a buster shot from the side, and as he rolled down the creature's flank, he saw a Purifier climbing up Tempest's tail. Marx grabbed a swerving beam cannon and hung on, even though the white-hot barrel was searing into his arms and chest.

"Akila! Behind you!" he yelled, as the Purifier clawed his way up to the first ridge and rose to his feet.

"I can't move!" she called back, clutching the Reaverbot's skeletal framework with all her strength. Fueled by terror, Marx let go of the cannon with his buster arm and transformed it, before setting it on top of the cannon to stabilize it and aiming for the Purifier. He seemed reluctant to let go of the ridge to fire at Nephtis, but Marx didn't know how long that would last, and he didn't want to find out.

He shot at the Purifier, but the initial volley merely scored Tempest's metal hide. Sensing that he was in danger, the Purifier released his buster hand and aimed it at Nephtis, but the next wave of bolts tore his arm off at the elbow, and one last shot struck him in the chest. The Purifier tumbled off the Kamarahan's back, and Marx urgently hauled himself up to his previous position. Deep grooves had been burned into his armor, but he didn't have time to worry about it. They had reached the front line.

Tempest slammed into the blue Kamarahan, knocking it over and nearly sending Marx tumbling off again. The Elysian war machine recovered quickly, and it leapt up on its hind legs to clash against its black counterpart. The sudden shift to vertical caught Marx by surprise, and he fell back several feet before grabbing onto one of the lower spinal ridges. Nephtis was holding on so tightly that she didn't even seem to notice that her ride was now standing upright.

Marx dangled from the Reaverbot's back, unable to find a foothold, until a red blur dove in under him and smashed Tempest from behind.

**Ow! That's coming back triple on you, you mind-controlling witch! **Tempest roared. The red Kamarahan was now clawing at Tempest's back, forcing him into the blue machine's claws. However, when it saw Marx dangling over its head, the Reaverbot lost interest in Tempest. It reached up at him with its jaws gaping, red eye staring implacably at the fear-stricken Maverick Hunter.

Without thinking, Marx kicked out and wedged his legs against the red Kamarahan's jaws, prying them open even as it pushed toward him with excruciating force. Bracing himself against Tempest's back, he refused to give the Kamarahan any ground, and with the Reaverbot's jaws as his foothold, he was able to bring his buster to bear on its giant glowing eye.

Marx yelled above the whine of his buster, spinning on full auto and searing his arm beneath the gauntlet. Green energy bolts cascaded down on the Kamarahan's eye, lighting up its mouth with green and blue fire and bathing Marx's body in a neon glow. He didn't stop firing until a huge gout of flame burst from the Kamarahan's mouth and neck, precluding the collapse of its head and sending the machine's body crashing to the ground. Marx was scorched all over, and he nearly fell with the release of the red Reaverbot's pressure on his legs, but he hung on with all the power he could muster.

Once the second Kamarahan had stopped pressing down on Tempest, Nephtis was able to disengage from the blue Reaverbot and circle around for another pass. The other machine did the same. They both charged each other amidst piles of wrecked Reaverbots, and as they were about to meet, the black Kamarahan ducked its head and jabbed upward, grasping the enemy Reaverbot's neck in its mouth.

She clamped its jaws shut and ripped the blue Kamarahan's head from its shoulders, tossing it aside with a contemptuous flick that only Nephtis could have performed. With all the enemies in the area either destroyed or occupied with Trigger and the remaining Reaverbots, Nephtis sent the possessed Tempest over to Alia's position in the center of the shuttle platform.

"Are you okay?" Marx called down from the Kamarahan's back.

"I think so," Alia replied shakily. Even though she hadn't been hit by any stray energy blasts, she was trembling badly, and the exertion of maintaining the army was taking its toll.

"Find cover!" he told her. "We'll take it from here!"

"If I leave now, all our Reaverbots will turn against us," she said.

"We can handle it, but I don't think X can handle losing you," Marx replied. "Go!"

"Sorry, Marx. I haven't abandoned my post in thirteen years, I'm not about to let that happen now."

"Damn..." he murmured. "At least get behind something!"

"We'll just have to keep them away from her," Nephtis said. "Hold on tight, love."

With that, Tempest galloped away from the shuttle platform, heading straight for the battle in the gardens, still swearing and struggling against his mental shackles. All three Hunters were watching intently for any alerts on the Elysian network that might hint at X's fate, but there was still no word from the tower. Despite their best efforts to the contrary, they were beginning to fear the worst.

* * *

The dust had barely begun to settle on the crushed outer hull of the shuttle pod when its main hatch was kicked open by an ebony boot. Coughing and grunting, Malakai dropped from the hatch and stumbled into the room that the shuttle had plowed into. It was a monitoring chamber, designed to keep a vigilant eye on Terra back when Elysium had enough workers left alive to staff it. Like so much of the ravaged space station, it had fallen empty and silent after the war had taken its course.

"Not my best landing," Malakai muttered. "We're at least thirty stories off."

After a moment's pause, Megaman X jumped silently from the hatch and landed next to the Elysian.

"Will we be able to use the elevator?" he asked.

"If you give me a second to hack the controls, sure."

Malakai led them through the monitoring station, kicking through squads of maintenance drones rushing to disassemble the damaged shuttle and seal the hole torn in the wall. Within minutes, they emerged from the abandoned rooms onto a platform jutting over the elevator shaft. Malakai immediately went to work on the control panel.

"Why haven't we been stopped yet?" X asked.

"I dunno. Maybe they weren't expecting us to launch a shuttle in their faces."

"But they must have caught on by now," he said.

"Obviously, they didn't. Are you gonna keep bugging me the whole way up there, or what?"

"It can't be this easy," X insisted.

As he spoke, the control panel lit up and the elevator pad descended to connect to their platform. Malakai shrugged theatrically and strolled onto the elevator. X followed him with his buster drawn.

"You're thinking I'm gonna betray you in a second, right?" Malakai asked, taking X off guard.

"Huh?"

"I know, I get that a lot. Mostly 'cause I'm a relentless backstabber, but only when it comes to the small stuff. See, I make it plain that you can't trust me, because anyone that's _really_ untrustworthy would make themselves seem like the nicest person in the whole damn universe."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, in this instance, I'm thinking about Double. Way to drop the ball on that one, X. He acted like the most adorably clumsy reploid ever built, he hung onto your every word, and...oh yeah, his name was _Double_!"

"You know about that?"

"We know about pretty much everything you've done. And honestly, I couldn't believe you fell for that. Nobody's that harmless, especially not any _double _agents who name themselves _Double_."

"Okay," X muttered, his cheeks burning in a rare moment of embarrassment. It occurred to him that Malakai could probably embarrass anybody if he set his mind to it. "Point taken. You're not going to betray me."

"Damn right I'm not. If you can trust a sleazy son of a bitch like me, then you've earned my loyalty."

"I can't say I've always trusted you," X said.

"I know, but I can tell you're starting to," Malakai told him. "And that's good enough for..." He paused as the elevator slowed to a halt. "Something's wrong. We're still one floor off."

X ran off the platform, and they both dove into the adjacent room. The elevator descended once more, and the door slammed shut behind them. X picked himself up and surveyed the room. They were standing on one side of a chasm pulsing with rainbow beams of energy, and a thin bridge led across the chaotic sea of light to the other side, where two figures stood in front of another door.

"We're on top of one of Eden's energy conduits," Malakai explained. A bolt of kaleidoscopic energy crackled out of the chasm and scorched the ceiling for emphasis. "But it's not usually going nuts like this. Dunno what the hell Eden's up to."

"Can we make it to his chamber from here?" X asked, keeping his voice low as he watched the immobile figures.

"There's a ramp on the other side of the tower that should take us to the top floor," he said. Then, the figures across the bridge stepped forward into the flashing light of the energy conduit, and it was just as X feared. Zero stood at the base of the bridge, with Purifier Lock at his side.

"This ends here, X," Zero said. "We're finally shaking free from the old world, and if you don't want to help us build a new one, I'm gonna have to kill you."

"I'm sorry, Zero," X answered. "You're advocating genocide. I can't allow that."

"I didn't think you would." The crimson reploid smiled bitterly, pulling out his beam saber and igniting the blade.

"Don't forget," Malakai whispered to X. "One-liner. Make it good."

With that, he pulled up his sniper cannon and fired a quick shot at Purifier Lock. The Elysian dodged it and returned fire with his own buster, but Malakai was already running to the side, through a door on the left wall of the chasm. Lock was back on his feet and running through the corresponding door on his side of the chasm, and suddenly X was alone with his old friend.

A friend who, at that instant, was dashing toward him with a drawn beam saber sizzling against the railing of the bridge. X raised his buster, closed his eyes, and began to charge.

**End of Chapter 43**

AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger and the delay resolving said cliffhanger. I was busy finishing up my first novel, which I've now printed and sent to a publisher. It's a sci-fi comedy involving classic rock, zombies, and the Soviet Union, and if all goes well with this publisher, I'll let you guys know when it's going to be on the market. Until then, I'll be diligently pounding out the last few chapters of _Elysium Rising_ (we're almost there. I can feel it. It's tingly) and rewriting the earlier bits as I go. I don't have any new edits for you this time, as I wanted to resolve that last cliffhanger in a timely fashion and the next batch of rewrites has to all be uploaded at once, but I can tell you that chapter 13 is done and I've made progress on 14. The changes I'm making to the middle section of the story are pretty sweeping, and the story will become even more disjointed if I upload them one at a time, so it might take awhile. Once I'm done, though, it'll be well worth it. Anyway, I think that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed this one, and thanks again for sticking with it!**  
**


	45. Index: Maverick Hunter Database

_**Megaman X: Elysium Rising **_

Maverick Hunter Database

By Genoscythe

Personnel Files

Calliope

Final Rank: Captain

Class: A

Role: Demolitions/Close Combat

Status: Retired

Known History: The first reploid completed by early reploid researcher Alec Tiberius, Calliope inherited her creator's laboratory when he was murdered during a break-in committed by a local gang. As director of the Tiberius Robotics Laboratory, she shifted funds from civilian to combat designs during the course of the Sigma Rebellion, and Calliope upgraded herself with combat capabilities before joining the Maverick Hunters on January 12th, 2115, one month after Sigma was retired.

Due to high test scores and an ongoing personnel shortage, Calliope was immediately placed under the command of Megaman X, then Captain of the 17th Elite Hunter Division. Three months later, Calliope and Megaman X disclosed their romantic involvement to Maverick Hunter Administration, and she was allowed to remain under his command on Dr. Cain's orders despite their conflict of interest. After the Second Maverick Uprising, Calliope trained alongside Zero, and together they developed beam saber combat techniques still in use as of this database update. Calliope alone is credited with the creation of the Kuenzan and Shippuga techniques, and on March 29th, 2138, she was promoted to Captain of the 17th Elite Hunter Division for her outstanding service record during the Repliforce War. Two days later, she began a tutoring program for newer Hunters, which she maintained up until the morning of July 6th, 2159, when she was infected with the Sigma Virus while off-duty and retired by Zero at the onset of the Eurasia Crisis. The Calliope Station training facility in Sicily was constructed posthumously as a vehicle for her enduring legacy, and 75% of the top-ranked Maverick Hunters, as of this database update, have received their training from the station.

Drake

Final Rank: Lieutenant

Class: C

Role: Pilot/Fire Support

Status: KIA

Known History: Designed and built by Dr. Cain as the 17th reploid in his original series, Drake did not excel in any specific category, but his CPU was the first to match the human neural network as closely as Megaman X's. Dr. Cain's preoccupation in dealing with Maverick outbreaks, particularly his construction of Sigma, caused Drake to run away from Cain Labs, and though records of his activities at this time are sparse, he has admitted to joining a gang and committing various unspecified crimes. On March 19th, 2114, an injured Drake arrived at Cain Labs, begging for shelter. He has stated that his gang turned against him, though the nature of their falling-out is, again, unspecified. Dr. Cain allowed him to join the Maverick Hunters as a means of rehabilitating him, and Drake was positioned in the 15th Rookie Hunter Division.

On June 4th, Sigma initiated his rebellion, and Drake was one of only two Maverick Hunters to escape alive and uninfected, the other being Zero, Acting Commander of the 17th Elite Hunter Division. Drake mostly served a supporting role during the Sigma Rebellion, as Megaman X activated his armor and fought with Zero in the field, though Drake retired Spark Mandrill with the assistance of the Neo Tokyo Defense Agency. With the re-establishment of the Maverick Hunters after the rebellion, he became a full-time Hunter on Megaman X's team, and he developed a reputation for recklessness and a habit of causing collateral damage. He has an extensive discipline file, and at the time of his death on August 18th, 2122, he was still indebted twenty-eight thousand credits to the Maverick Hunters for frivolous destruction of equipment, mostly ride chasers. Megaman X has since paid off these debts.

Mobius

Final Rank: Lieutenant

Class: B

Role: Field Medic/Scout

Status: Retired

Known History: A combat model reploid with a bat chassis, Mobius joined the Maverick Hunters on December 21st, 2114, although he refused to be deployed in the field. Sometime before his application, Mobius deleted most of his combat training and reprogrammed himself to function as a physician, which triggered a form of reploid schizophrenia as his old directives conflicted with his personal goals. A full diagnosis of Mobius's condition, written by Mobius himself, can be viewed in the medical archives under _Free Will Syndrome_.

By the beginning of the Second Maverick Uprising, Mobius was appointed chief medical officer, and he held this position for four months until, on October 7th, 2115, an attack on Maverick Hunter Headquarters severely damaged the medical wing, and most of Mobius's patients were killed. This event pushed Mobius to the brink of madness, and he reverted to his combat programming to hide from the horrors he witnessed that day. An essay on this psychological phenomena is stored in the medical archives under _How to Make the Voices Stop: A Study in Reploid Psychopathology by Dr. Mobius_.

Megaman X pacified Mobius and convinced him to join his team, and he served with the 17th Elite Hunter Division throughout the Second, Third, and Fourth Maverick Wars, but on February 12th, 2158, he disappeared while on patrol in the Carpathian Mountains, and he reappeared on July 6th, 2159, infected with the Sigma Virus and operating under the codename Dark Dizzy. He was retired by Megaman X in order to obtain a fuel tank for the space shuttle that eventually destroyed the bulk of the Eurasia space colony.

Genoscythe

Final Rank: Commander

Class: SA

Role: Tactician

Status: MIA

Known History: Genoscythe appeared at Cain Laboratories on December 16th, 2114, and he was the first new recruit hired for the Maverick Hunters after the Sigma Rebellion, as he applied before the hiring process officially began. His abilities, when tested, matched those of Sigma himself, and when Megaman X declined an offer to command the 17th Elite Hunter Division, Genoscythe was chosen instead. He refused to disclose any details regarding his creation or prior activities, but he was the only suitable leader available for the 17th Division, and he was deployed immediately.

When Mobius was instated as chief medical officer, he claimed to have performed a complete physical evaluation of Genoscythe, and he was classified as an advanced Replitech prototype. However, after his disappearance on November 25th, 2115, Mobius admitting to falsifying his records, claiming that "threats were insinuated" and "a certain indefinable terrifyingness" about the former commander compelled him to do so. At the time of this database update, no details about Genoscythe's origins, specifications, or activities excluding the period between December 16th and November 25th are known.

Field Guide

Model Infection Index

Combat Model – Priority one targets. Combat models are easily identifiable in the field, and they are by far the most dangerous mass-production reploid type in existence. Built with innumerable chassis variations, all combat models are based on animals and, to a lesser extent, plants. Their emotional development is limited, as most extraneous features on standard reploids, such as solid food processors and sexual components, have been left out to lower production costs. Combat reploids, therefore, exist primarily for warfare, and their inherent nature leaves them prone to Maverick Virus infection. Alarmingly, many combat models go Maverick of their own accord, but these are to be treated as infected reploids and retired immediately.

*For Recruiting Officers Only: All combat models applying for a position in the Maverick Hunters must be upgraded with a D-10 Matrix firewall or better, and must submit to a complete psychological evaluation by the current chief medical officer. If asked, this is to be explained as standard procedure for all applicants.

Replitech Model 4 – The cheapest model that Replitech is legally allowed to produce, and though they have a high probability of infection due to their inferior programming and equipment, they are considered low priority targets for the same reason. Most Model 4s are employed as industrial laborers, and are typically used as cannon fodder by the Mavericks. All Hunters should use caution when dealing with large numbers of Model 4 Mavericks, as they have been known to overwhelm even higher-class Hunters under proper conditions.

Replitech Model 3 – A baseline reploid model with no additional system specifications, Model 3s are unpredictable in regards to both combat ability and intelligence, though they invariably suffer from the same viral susceptibility as the Model 4s. Model 3 reploids are often suggested to be the most "human" model currently in production, due to their variety in interests, skills, and habits, as well as their generally average physical and mental performance. It should be noted that very few Model 3 reploids are freewill Mavericks (estimated to be less than 3%), and all Model 3 Mavericks are considered infected unless proven otherwise.

Replitech Model 2 – The lowest priority reploid model currently in production, Model 2s are highly specialized for maximum computing power, and often find work as doctors, professors, or engineers. Their design sacrifices physical ability for quality processors, which greatly reduces their susceptibility to the Maverick Virus. The few Model 2 Mavericks in existence are unlikely to be encountered in the field, and the degenerative side effects of the Maverick Virus affects their intelligence to a certain extent, but on occasion Model 2 reploids have been known to instigate entire uprisings, such as the case with Dr. Doppler's revolt and Gate's Nightmare Incident.

Custom Model – Designer reploids built to specification, usually at astronomical cost. Custom models encompass Replitech Model 1s, as well as all independently-developed reploids. Custom models generally excel in all areas, including anti-virus capabilities, but the custom reploids who have gone Maverick in the past have caused more damage than all other model types combined. The custom reploid Dynamo is chiefly responsible for the Eurasia colony drop, and Sigma himself is classified as a custom model. All Hunters below Class A are advised to avoid custom model reploids in the field, if at all possible.

Known Custom Mavericks:

Tempest – A freewill Maverick with extensive chassis modifications. Appearance has been described as 'insectoid,' though he cannot be matched to any known insect and is thus differentiated from a combat model. Reports describe him as wearing a black cloak and wielding an edged disc attached to his wrist via chain.

Prototype M 107 – An experimental reploid designed by Surya Labs. M 107 is a humanoid who was last seen with a Caucasian skin type and long blonde hair, and she is equipped with a pyrokinetic field generator. For reasons unknown, she burned down Surya Labs on activation, and she was taken into custody by NTDA Officer Demetrio, who subsequently turned Maverick under the codename Stealth Claw. M 107 has not been seen since, but she undoubtedly has either turned Maverick herself or been otherwise re-purposed.

Sigma – Though his reappearance has not been confirmed, it is estimated that a new Sigma battle body will soon be completed based on data extrapolated from past encounters with Sigma.


End file.
